Australia's latest export isn't a new version of Foster's Lager or Paul Hogan but rather another fine rock and roll band. Keeping in tune with the long line of well respected rock and roll bands from Australia, The Strange Boys have come to conquer America. Pitched as a good ol' fashioned rock in roll band that's blues based and steeped in honky tonk the characters that make the band up seem to have a lot in common with their British cousins the Libertines and The Rolling Stones than Jet or AC/DC.
Their album Live Music is in fact, not live at all, but rather a fine studio exposition exploring the fun one can have with guitars, harmonicas, and copious amounts of whiskey. Rough, raw, and a bit sloppy The Strange Boys create jangly bluesy rock tunes that stumble their way across the platter in a stupor of epic proportions. Live Music’s songs are made up of all the usual stuff; love gone wrong, crazy nights, and a lot of fun. Live Music is a fun record that takes its Libertine nature pretty seriously without trying to actually be The Libertines. Filled with bluesy harmonica, gurgled vocals, and shambolic guitars that sound as if they’re about to become de-strung it really sounds as if The Strange Boys might just black out at some point. If you can imagine the ol' "How Dry I Am," song played with a swingin' back beat you've got these guys nailed down.
Nothing terribly new or original, The Strange Boys prove there's just something about Ozzy rock and roll that's so good. I’m not sure how or why but rock and roll seems to thrive Down Under; it must be in the water or the liquor down there. Reckless, self-destructive, and a hell of a lot of fun Live Music is a rough and tumble ride through the Australian outback in a 68 Camaro at 130 mph. The Strange Boys don't do anything complicated, but they do what they do incredibly well and that's why I really like this record and I bet Pete Doherty does as well. Viva La Rock and Roll!
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