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Robbers on High StreetThe Fatalist and Friends(New Line) US release date: 14 November 2006 UK release date: Available as import by Adrien BegrandPeople were quick to slag Robbers on High Street, accusing them of being an empty Spoon rip-off and little else, primarily because they play snappy post-punk-inspired, piano-tinged pop rock, but while the post-punk wave has long since crested, the underrated Brooklyn band is still persevering, and this four-song teaser EP shows us there’s still some life left in these guys. The two tracks from the band’s upcoming 2007 album hold up well: “The Fatalist” effectively channels the tetchy energy of the Walkmen with the Clash-infused sounds of the dearly-departed Libertines, while songer/keyboardist Ben Trokan delivers a charismatic vocal performance during the catchy “Married Young”. Tree City outtake “Major Minor” might have clashed with the rest of that polished album, but its lackadaisical sound (reminiscent of Pavement) works well on its own here. Most surprising is the ebullient cover of Paul McCartney’s ram rarity “Monkberry Moon Delight”, which shows just how fun the Robbers can be when they sidestep the circa-2003 indie sounds.
— 2 April 2007Related articles
Review: Robbers on High Street: Tree CityKenneth Yu21.Feb.05 Tree City consists of 13 tracks of tightly-wound, musically-literate passion from musicians who themselves are conscious of the awesomeness of their output.
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