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Track:The World Was A Mess, But His Hair Was Perfect
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The Rakes
Ten New Messages
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AMG Review of Ten New Messages
Heather Phares
All Music GuideOne of the few new wave/post-punk-inspired bands that keep their albums as concise as their influences did, the Rakes move even farther away from their gloriously raw early singles on Ten New Messages than they did on their first album, Capture/Release. This cleaned-up, slightly subdued sound puts the focus on the Rakes' melodies and lyrics, and for the most part, the band is up to the challenge: "Little Superstitions"' earnest pop shows a newfound sophistication, while "Trouble" and "We Danced Together" only let spurts of punk energy out during the choruses. In fact, one of the songs that sounds the most like their beginnings is actually the most lyrically complex: "Suspicious Eyes" explores paranoia on the morning commute, moving from merely feeling awkward to terrorist fears to feelings of racial discrimination as singer Alan Donohoe, a female vocalist, and an Asian rapper each take a verse. Sonic changes and social consciousness aside, Ten New Messages shows that the Rakes still have the wit that made their first single "22 Grand Job" a standout. Donohoe is a compelling vocalist with an intriguing mix of literate, grown-up smarts and sardonic punk wit, whether he's singing about keeping "the night from falling to pieces" on the Krautrock-tinged "The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect" or downed networks and dysfunctional relationships on "When Tom Cruise Cries." At times, the risk the Rakes take on slower tempos and subtler sounds doesn't always pay off -- songs like "On a Mission" and "Down with Moonlight" show how much their more dynamic approach is missed. Even if Ten New Messages doesn't offer as much instant gratification as Capture/Release did, it's still an admirable and mostly successful refining of the Rakes' music.
The Rakes - Ten New Messages (2007)
Track Review-The Rakes: "The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect"
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I never bought the Rakes' debut, but I remember streaming the singles and watching the videos. They were fun songs in the Gang of Four/Wire vein of 21st British rock. The band had a great sense of humor, were adroit with writing a solid hook, and had fairly amusing videos. Fun, yet pretty disposable and typical of just about everything else coming out of the UK these days. Enter "The World Wa...
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The Rakes - Ten New Messages (2007)
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Artist:
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Album:
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Track:The World Was A Mess, But His Hair Was Perfect
Track Review-The Rakes: "The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect"
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Artist:
-
Album:
-
Track:
I never bought the Rakes' debut, but I remember streaming the singles and watching the videos. They were fun songs in the Gang of Four/Wire vein of 21st British rock. The band had a great sense of humor, were adroit with writing a solid hook, and had fairly amusing videos. Fun, yet pretty disposable and typical of just about everything else coming out of the UK these days. Enter "The World Wa...
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 "Ten New Messages")
