KLANGLATON!

There are few bands that stick with you the same way young love does. The Rakes is one of those bands I could regard as being one of my first girlfriends. Nearly five years after hearing Strasbourg for the first time and three albums later I found myself at the very same place where they promoted their first single Strasbourg, ergo Rough Trade East London. Even though I wasn't there the last time I have listened to the live recording, which featured as a b-side on the 22 Grand Job 7", over and over again, on 33 as well as on 45 rpm. The set at Rough Trade in March 09 was an ultimate mix of old and new songs which took me on an amazing journey down rakes memory lane. From dancing together and not realising the shit till you're in it as you're running through debris with helicopters circling up above. To the ever prominent light from your girlfriends Open MacBook after waking up with a terrible hangover before going to a lousy 22 grand job. Whereas you would much rather be in Berlin where the bars have no closing time or at a fashionista party in Strasbourg where you can happily conclude that the world is a mess but at least your hair is perfect. The latter is never the case for me, especially not after a Rakes gig. My urge to freak out at gigs may seem a little retarded to people who don't know me, but makes perfect sense to me. [warning here comes horrible analogy] You could compare a guitar riff or amazing rhythm section to Harry Potter's relation with Lord Voldemort. Whenever Voldemort creeps into Harry's mind it is near impossible for Harry to resist his presence, hence, resulting in chaos, fear and anger. This also applies to the way I react to music, especially when its blasting through speakers in a cramped venue whilst bathing in sweat.

After the Rough Trade gig Klang! has become an even more regular visitor to my iTunes playlist. Tracks like You're In It, Shackleton, The Reason, 1989 and The Light From Your Mac (with shit hot bass line) combine the instant hit post-punk potential of Capture/Release with the sharp, witty and detailed lyrics of Ten New Messages. Like many (great) artist have done in the past (personal favourite being Bowie) The Rakes moved to Berlin to record Klang!. Besides being influenced by the Berlin lifestyle they have added a piano to their arsenal to add an ever fresher sound, as can be heard on Muller's Ratchet. Although The Rakes always managed to create a fresh sound on their records. The live shows on the other hand remained a different story. They either nailed it or failed it. For some strange reason the vocals always seemed to be overpowered by the guitars and drums, taking away most of the Rakes charm. However, After witnessing them live at Rough Trade as well as at Koko a few weeks ago, I am more than glad to conclude that they have completely redeemed themselves. Where other bands from their generation are failing to live up to expectations The Rakes are proving that they are still in it and have no fear of smelling the shit.

The Rakes
STRASBOURG