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A Cellar Full Of Rats
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Quantity in Basket:
None
Price: $13.00
Artist:
The Beat Rats
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In 1964 it was Beatlemania, in 2009 it's time for Beat Rat mania! This New York City-based quartet whisks you back to the days of The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany - but with only a slight modern touch! Their no-frills brand of Mersey-inspired garage pop is a hook and guitar-filled delight! "New York: birthplace of the Velvet Underground, The Ramones, Sonic Youth, The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and home to all things cool and trendy since the late 60’s. The Beat Rats are the latest sons of the Big Apple to pick the torch for rock’n’roll and run with it. These boys aren’t, however, running down the more obvious paths the city is known for (I.E. Punk, Hardcore and Noise Rock). They are reaching back to the halcyon days of The Beatles, Mod Pop and Garage Rock. If these guys were bigger Anglophiles they’d be living in a flat in Shoreditch. ‘The Beat Rats Theme’ is a statement of intent, all surf guitar, hip shaking rhythm and petulant, catchy vocals, and it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Each track on the album is a short, sharp blast of classy retro rock. Not that they repeat themselves. 'I Can’t Wait' has a slower, more bar room blues feel that could either be about a woman or a drug dealer. ‘Rat Fink' hints at the Banana Splits as much as any real band. While also bringing to mind Link Wray and the soundtrack to 'Pulp Fiction'. the production on the album is pretty basic, but it fits the overall mood of the record, making it sound as if the band recorded on an 8-track with analog equipment, in a Greenwich Village loft. I’m guessing the real way to experience the band at it's best is live (we've done that folks with the bonus 5 song live EP!), with sweat pouring out of the walls and everybody in the room shaking ass and taking names." - Bubblegum Slut Fanzine "They recreate the sound, style and attitude of an early 60's British combo with utter perfection. The best rock and roll has always been built upon a skeletal foundation of a few basic chords, trashy drumming and impassioned vocals, and this trembles and shakes on such ground. Energy and enthusiasm are doled out in spades, making for a collection of highly infectious hybrid of peppy Mersey pop inspired melodies, surf slanted guitar licks and rugged garage rock overtones that inhabit each and every corner of the album. Having studied and adopted the finest points of the masters, these Ratsa are today’s version of The Big Three, The Pretty Things and John, Paul, George and Ringo wrapped in one explosive package. 'Only 16,' 'She’s Twisted,' 'Mine All Mine' and 'The Beat Rats Theme' are executed so convincingly that you can’t help but be blown away by the band’s undying devotion to the music they play. But this is no cheesy nostalgia type effort, as the delivery is fresh and vital. Scruffy, raw and teeming with danceable grooves, here’s a record guaranteed to warrant repeated listenings." - Beverly Paterson GREAT!!!
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