The Rakes may not have had the international success of tourmates and sound-a-likes Franz Ferdinand, but damn if they don’t have stubborn longevity. Klang, their third album, resumes the band’s long standing theme of the struggles of the everyday monotony of working class life. Well, it worked for their hit 22 Grand Job, and if it ain’t broke… The problem is that, well, it is broke. Excuse me Sir, but is that the latest Prada button-down blazer you’re sporting? Spiffing. The Rakes have ironically carved out an image for themselves as dedicated followers of fashion, providing soundtracks to Dior catwalk shows and having designers base clothing lines around their style. Call me crazy, but I believe that the music should evolve with the people in order to ring true; it’s a little hard to take serious someone who’s droning about the woes of a wage packet that ain’t worth a pittance when they’re wearing a gold-leaf suit. Then again, maybe that’s just the recession depression talking. Let’s put a pin in it for the moment, shall we?
Musically, Klang is a raucous 28 minutes of riff-reliant lecky guitar tunes with familiar ‘Lahnndan’ inflections laid on top. Lyrically, you’re looking at formations akin to this:
Verse: “Punks were hangin’ out in the park/While someone practiced electric guitar”
Chorus: “La la la la la laaaa…. la lala la la laaa”
If this type of vernacular titillates you beyond your wildest dreams, rush out and buy Klang immediately. All-in-all, The Rakes don’t produce bad indie rock if you like your meat and two veg. served without gravy. However, if you’d rather stick a rake in your ear than wallow along with The Rakes to songs such as The Woes of the Working Woman then curl up on the sofa with a box set of The Hills instead and ponder over what colour your next custom-built Bentley should be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxGx5gybf8k
