A near 15-second drum roll is how Tragic City Thieves choose to begin their second album Be My Receiver, holding you in inescapable suspense on that opening track before roaring into the sleazy rock n roll that they’re known for.
For a band cited as the “the best (sleazy glam rock band) the UK can offer,” you would expect this album to blaze down a trail of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll – however, this isn’t all that the band from Port Glasgow have to offer. Don’t fret, this album has its fair share of antics with an entire song dedicated to a girl who “rocks her hips” and makes the singer “start to strip,” but there is much more to hear from this album.
Standout tracks include the seven and a half minute long ‘Lucifer’ which has power that wouldn’t go amiss on a heavy metal album, and is of such epic proportions that Led Zeppelin would have been proud of it. The band is extremely tight and most of the tracks on the album explode when they should and hold back only to give you a break from dancing.
The only member of the band who seems to confuse things is ‘CJ Monk’ on vocals. He has capturing vocals on every single one of the tracks, sounding like Jim Morrison on one and Iggy Pop on the next. Although this shows true vocal ability, it does not however allow you to become accustomed to the band’s sound and be immersed in the atmosphere of the album. Changing the sound too much between songs sometimes leaves you alienated and wanting to return to the sound featured on the previous track.
This however does not dampen the band’s immense power and captivating song writing, which culminate to create an album that would make the original Guns n’Roses line-up work harder to sound more rock n’ roll than Tragic City Thieves.
Be My Receiver launches at Glasgow’s Nice’n’Sleazy on March 23rd.
www.tragiccitythieves.com