The 1960s may be dead for this Liverpool quartet, but the 1980s are alive and well. The opening track sets the scene: For the first few seconds, you'd swear it was Gang of Four--by way of Franz Ferdinand--with that angular, yet bouncy guitar attack, but then the vocals come in. Could it be Joe Strummer, Joe Jackson...Ted Leo? No matter, "Riot Radio" is a great post-post-punk track any way you look at it (that's Matt McManamon on the mic, by the way). Up there with, yes, "Take Me Out," "Apply Some Pressure" (Maximo Park), and "I Predict a Riot" (Kaiser Chiefs). On the rest of their debut, the Dead 60s distinguish themselves from the current UK guitar-rock crop with shorter songs and more ska, dub, and "Rock the Casbah"-style dance beats, which means they would fit just as comfortably on a bill with Bloc Party as The Rapture. -
Kathleen C. Fennessy
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