Be Brave

Strange Boys (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 2, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: In the Red Records
• ASIN: B0035L0Z92
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,008 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

... a raunchy interpretation of Bob Dylan at the height of his coolness. --The Needle Drop

Product Description

2010 sophomore release from the Texas-based Garage/Pop outfit. Like it or not, The Strange Boys are probably both younger and more accomplished than you. Since the band's humble beginnings as a duo in 2003, they've shared stages with the likes of Roky Erickson, Daniel Johnston, and Black Lips, leaving a smattering of singles, EPs, and CD-Rs in their wake. The band's full-length debut, And Girls Club, wound up on countless best-of-2009 lists and landed them a record deal (outside North America) with Rough Trade. Now, the Boys kick off 2010 with their follow-up, Be Brave, and it's guaranteed to please any and all who appreciate an infectious mix of ramshackle Garage Rock, polished Village Green-era Kinks melodies, and vocals that suggest a young Bob Dylan had he spent more of his formative years in juvie halls than coffee-houses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm getting Sleepy!!, February 22, 2011

By 

Zachary J Evans - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Be Brave (MP3 Download)

They calmed down their sound drastically, and started whining a lot. It almost sounds like they started listening to someone else tell them what to sound like. This album doesn't quite bring the same boppin punch that And Girls Club did, and turning it down a notch to a mellower folky side seems to be what they were trying to do. However, overall this album rocks, and there are definitely still some awesome extremely catchy tracks with that special sound that will make you want to jump through the roof.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mellow Sophomore Record Full of Fuzzy Gems, January 13, 2011

By 

G. Locke "Ze Catalist Dot Com" (Fort Wayne, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Be Brave (Audio CD)

Okay, fine, I'll admit it: I kind of have a crush on Austin, Texas garage rockers The Strange Boys. All of 'em, even the gal with the blonde afro who plays the sax, Jenna Thornhill-deWitt. Following 2008's breakout debut, The Strange Boys and Girls Club, the youngish slacker rockers found a solid niche market in the U.S. and, unpredictably, a solid fan base in the U.K. No bother, they went back into the studio and, ignoring the hype and pressures that surround a sophomore record, recorded Be Brave, an equally good - if much different - record.

Be Brave opens with "I See," an instantly enjoyable twanger that sees frontman Ryan Sambol singing - in slurred verse - some surprisingly well written words of passive poetry, adding a harp-driven pseudo-power-hook to the track's already very accessible accompaniment. It's a great opener that sees these Boys peeling away some of the fuzzy grit in favor of a stound akin to pre-Aftermath Rolling Stones.

From there Be Brave is a solid garage rock ride, filled with incomprehensible vocals (many of which seem to deal with political themes), jangle guitars, bratty vibes and bouncy rhythms. The title track, for sure, is an instant standout, sounding like some lost Nuggets-era pop single. Mixing elements of country, R&B and punk into their sound on Be Brave, presenting a fluid and lean 12-song record that, despite the band's limited palate, never drags or bores, instead feeling like a singles collection for slackers.

Modestly produced by Sambol himself, the Boys have a different line-up on this record, one that features some very well-thought-of members of the ongoing garage rock revival. For starters, original drummer (and founding member) Matt Hammer has been replaced by Seth Densham (formerly of Mika Miko). The aforementioned Thornhill-deWitt (also of Mika) is new, as is back-up singer Tim Presley, member of Darker My Love. Now something of a supergroup, the Boys are led by Sambol, a strong leader with not only a clear understanding of roots rock, but an easygoing swagger. Confidence, I suppose, is the word when talking about Sambol.

Had Be Brave been released when I was, say, 16, I think the Boys would be my favorite band. They have the look, the sound and the style of a band that could've, in a different time, done quite well on, say, MTV. They could've been bigger than Weezer, back in 1997ish, when good rock bands could still "make it" on MTV and in record stores. Instead we have an album that maybe 30,000 people will ever own. A shame, really, as I'm pretty sure all 30,000 who buy the record will like it very much - if only for the six or seven instant standout tracks, any of which could be minor radio hits in tastier times.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Album, January 1, 2011

By 

DISCover Tunes (Thompsontown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Brave (Audio CD)

Strange Boys are great. This album didn't disappoint at all. It sounds a little more mature than their previous album. Really Good Music.