Blackstrap
Steal My Horses and Run (Tee Pee)
release: May 20, 2008
style: life is killing my rock 'n' roll
[rating: ***1/2] Another band from Sweden that sounds American, Blackstrap swaggers through the desert with black sunglasses fuzz that borrows heavily from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The musical resemblance is dangerously uncanny for most of Steal My Horses, mainly credited to Jonatan Westh's voice, though the organ and occasional female vox from Maria Linden save them from being a complete replica. Plus, the band made themselves even cooler by recording in a freezing cold Amsterdam bunker. Although the quintet is usually rocking and rolling, they slow down to about 35mph on "The Open Road," which sees the band running most smoothly. "Repulsion" also steps over the band's state line, switching the dial to a noise-pop frequency. The last two pretty songs further support this being a first and second half sort of record. -Kenyon