Garage Scuzz Punk. Not the catchiest name for a genre, I grant you, but with bands like The Bellrays at it's forefront, it seems destined to succeed.
Because Garage Scuzz Punk is what The Bellrays do, and my God they do it well. Debut British single "Fire On The Moon" knocks the stuffing out of punk pretenders like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The White Stripes. Because The Bellrays have something which those acts do not. And that's a new Janis Joplin on lead vocals.
Lisa Kekuala is the mega-Afroed singer who sets The Bellrays apart. Her visceral, angry, yet soulful tones make "Fire On The Moon" into one of the most striking records of the year. From it's all out Punk blast-off to it's Stooges-like crashing ending, it's the kind the single that grabs you by the balls and drags you into it's dark, seedy little world.
Garage Scuzz Punk, then. I can see the compilation albums littering WH Smiths now...
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8Robert Luckett's Score