The Strange Boys Be Brave

Have you ever wondered what The White Stripes would sound like if Jack had been born in 1945, started the band in 1963, and sang with the voice of a young Bob Dylan? Well, me neither, but if you were, this album from The Strange Boys would give you a pretty damn good idea. The decidedly lo-fi, bluesy, folk inspired and just plain awesome sound harks back to a homespun time of synthless choruses and voices unspoiled by autotunes. Ryan Sambol (Guitar, Vocals) has an heir of folk storyteller, and straight forward but well played instrumentals provide an excellent backsplash for his raspy delivery.

"Be Brave" clocks in at around 32 minutes, so please don't worry about investing too much of your precious time away from the modern musical comforts of electro-pop, but do take a close listen and revel in the simplicity, and even (gasp) a few acoustic melodies. The Strange Boys may be just one just one of many bands still nurturing the musical seeds sowed during the early days of rock and roll, but they do it with class and what appears to me to be a real respect for the pioneers of their craft. So please, check this out; I promise you won't end up pissing on that totally rad Miike Snow remix bootleg you bought from the hipster at the record co-op downtown.