Track Listing

1. No Soul
2. Alarm Clock
3. Building A Boat
4. Girls And Boys In Love
5. Oh Creole
6. Motorcycle
7. Time
8. Clouds
9. Don't Dumb Down
10. Cowboy
11. Hate Me (You Do)
12. Hands

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7788 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 38 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
They're good clean fun. "I don't like doing things that other folks tell me to do, so I hit him with a hammer, and now he's quite subdued". Well, clean-ish at any rate. The Rumble Strips are a real anomaly in a nation where jeering at talent show rejects is the pastime of choice. Relatively image-free, they carry nostalgia for an England of yore where boys could carry conkers in their coat pockets, sip at shandy on special occasions and be happy with their lot, without crossing over into the realm of novelty. Their reliance on thrifty rhythmic foundations, strong vocals and chipper horn arrangements originally places them somewhere between The Housemartins, Madness and Dexy’s Midnight Runners, whilst also charging through the kind of frantic, ruffled songwriting that Razorlight thrived on before the lure of the arenas stubbed that right out. Charlie Waller is a terrific lead vocalist too, and never short of reams of witty, wholesome lyrics. Girls and Weather creates a world where singing about wishing your bike was a motorcycle ("Motorcycle") and lying on your back staring at the clouds ("Clouds") really is good enough. When hammered out with the kind of eccentric panache familiar to patrons of the Mystery Jets, of course it is. --James Berry

CD Description
One of the most eagerly-awaited releases of 2007, the Rumble Strips' debut full length album sees the Devonshire four piece bringing their unique blend of brass-led ska, soul and indie into the mainstream. Recorded over an intensive two week period in Los Angeles and produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Belle & Sebastian), 'Girls And Weather' draws influences from the likes of Dexy's Midnight Runners and the Mystery Jets to create a unique, eccentric feel-good record. Includes thesingles 'Motorcycle,' 'Girls And Boys In Love,' and 'Alarm Clock,'

Customer Reviews

Dexy's
OK let's say it up front - this album owes a lot to Dexy's Midnight Runners BUT it is still a cracking good album. It's a joyful burst of sunshine for the end of a dreadful summer, the singles are great and "don't dumb down" has the makings of a classic. Take a chance on this - you may not be listening to it in 20 years time but you'll be listening to it next summer at max volume while driving down to the coast....especially if the sun decides to shine!

A bit Zutons, a bit Dexys - but a good debut all round
These guys are nosing around the fringes of the top 40, not quite the next big thing but certainly contenders. The sound is guitar pop with brass and the odd bit of pub piano. There are some stand out songs here - catchy tunes, memorable lyrics - and the rest aren't too bad either. Motorcycle is good, Alarm Clock is good, Girls and Boys in love is good. The one about clouds is quite cute too. Yes, there is a debt owed here to Dexy's and the Zutons, and maybe the Cure too, but these aren't bad reference points at all and in general this is a hoorah for Brit indie pop.

And by the way, if you get a chance to see them live, then I'd recommend it. They are full of life and energy, and utterly chaotic. Brilliant.

A pleasing album
The full length début album of the Rumble Strips makes for many pleasant afternoons. Whilst many of the songs are not overly different, they contain little eccentricities that many bands overlook when producing one type of music. The Rumble Strips pull this off well, making each track seem its own. The best (in my opinion) track on the album is undoubtedly 'Girls and Boys in Love', which features in the smashing comedy Run, Fatboy, Run. The classy style of the song, coupled with an unbeatable tune will leave this song stuck in your head for hours, if not days. A little more variation would be nice however. Overall, one of the best products to come from Devon, second only to clotted cream.