Described
by their label as sounding like “a furious car crash of
punk, rocksteady, reggae, psychedelia and blistering rock’n’roll”,
‘The Rank Deluxe’ are a young four-piece who have
been creating quite a stir with their raucous live performances
which feature plenty of crowd participation, rock’n’roll
antics and stirring, shout-along choruses. Following hot off the
heels of their 2006 self titled EP and a number of singles which
embodied their live dynamic, the band release ‘Tightrope’,
the first track taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘You
Decide’, out in May.
Hailing from
South East London and consisting of Richard Buchanan (Lead Vocals,
Guitars), Lewis Dyer (Lead Guitar and Vocals), John Wallis (Bass)
and Chris Ballard (Drums), ‘The Rank Deluxe’ create
a happy-go-lucky fusion of old school UK punk, indie-rock and
reggae; a musical style which the band describe as ‘sewage’.
On this release they really do whet the appetite for their forthcoming
album with a tempestuous display of melodically heavy punk-rock.
The A-Side,
‘Tightrope’ features a coalescence of jagged guitar
melodies, sharp percussion and funky bass, resulting in the creation
of a fast tempo-ed flurry of highly charged melodic dissonance
which quickly builds to an infectious sing-along chorus. To the
delight of many fans, the B-Side see’s the inclusion of
‘Steal My Soul’, an uproarious live favourite. Bouncing
along on a winding, serrated and captivating melodic-punk guitar
backbone, the four-piece charge ahead with a blasting slice of
groove-laden ‘Sewage-core’. Buchanan’s laid-bare,
ultra-British vocals are accompanied by Dyer’s to rabble-rousing
effect whilst Ballard churns out a bout of frantic percussion.
After a couple of minutes, the band swoop into a charming ‘Police-esque’
reggae-thon before returning for an encore of frenzied punk-rock.
Throughout
the two tracks, Buchanan sings with a real pomp and vigor, accentuating
his accent to the fullest, resulting in a real sense of intimacy
between the band and listener. Special mention has to be given
to the production values. Each instrumental element occupies its
own space within the soundstage and the amplified vocals come
across crystal clear but avoid drowning out the rest of the sound.
Beefy production values could threaten to destroy the vibrancy
and visceral energy of the music but there are no such worries
here as their emphatic live sound has been captured to a tee.
All-in-all, this is a storming and utterly infectious release
which could elevate ‘The Rank Deluxe’ to the upper
echelons of the mainstream. (RM)
For
fans of: Arctic Monkey’s, The Specials, Gang of Four
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