Vagrant seemed to have changed tack in recent months, moving away from the ’emo’ tag many had labelled them with and on to signing more ‘rock’ based bands like Eels, Paul Westerberg and now The Hold Steady. The latter – who have been gaining a lot of praise in the US – remind me of a kind of Springsteen/Dave Matthews band-cross. They’re definitely not the kind of band Punktastic would usually review, let alone champion. But I can really see why this band have done so well – it’s just old-fashioned good music.
I imagine this is the kind of record they play in bars across midwestern America – all rough, edgy vocals and mid-tempo guitar riffs. There’s the odd solo in sight but nothing too fancy, for no frills rock and roll you’ll not likely find a better record all year. And yes, I know we;re only in January. Each of the 11 tracks has a neat hook and a sweet lick, ‘Massive Nights’ and ‘Chips Ahoy!’ stand out like beacons as huge choruses eminate from your speakers. It’s the kind of record you put on at parties, put on your car stereo or simply listen to in the bath and find yourself singing along without even realising. It’s a great ‘back to basics’ record, proving you don’t need concept albums and fancy production to have the critics drooling.