Garage fuzz-pop doyens Acting Strange may have only just unleashed their first ever album, but their sound is seriously watertight.
The spangled glam-rock of their Talk Talk Talk LP is as raw as punk, as sexy as primetime T Rex and as debauched as The Velvets (minus the heroin).
To celebrate the record’s release, we ask the Glasgow trio, founded by cousins Ali and Billy Strange (and now augmented by Jack Rabbit Strange on drums), to tell us about the tracks that have informed their sound…
Jay Som - 1 Billion Dogs
I love how the corrosive fuzz of this track sits against her childish vocals. Really catchy and has a so bad it's good Nirvana guitar solo.
Angel Olsen - Shut Up and Kiss Me
Throwbacky and melodramatic, her most accessible single so far.
Pixies - Hey
The dynamic between the band in the middle of this song is the Pixies at their best. We always laugh at the ‘Said the Man to the Lady’ bit as we think it sounds like Will Ferrell.
Lee Dorsey - Get Out My Life Woman
Allen Toussaint wrote this apparently. Lee Dorsey's voice is like a pair of silk underpants over a fat ass drum beat. The piano playing is cheeky also.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Have to Ask
Suave street corner funk. The space in the verses is great with the heavey bottom end from the drums and bass. I like the kooky chorus with the wee synth and the backing vocals. One of John Frusciante's best solos, he was only 20 at the time.
Mac Demarco - Chambers of Reflection
This song just makes you feel nostalgic and blue, in a good way. It sounds like a warped VHS, very eighties. The melody is quite Lennonesque.
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
Really into the black keys. Love the drums the fuzz and who doesn't wanna just shake their money maker to this one?
Kings Of Leon - Waste a Moment
Kings of Leon tough choosing between this track and don't matter but I chose this one for its driving bass and a rhythm that makes me want to climb to the top of a mountain throw my hands up and yalp!
Hanni El Khatib - Gonna Die Alone
Hanni El Katib newest album prouduced by one of my fav guitarists Dan Auerbach...love the offbeats and overall beats in the song and of course the fuzzieness.
A Perfect Circle - Judith
My favourite band ever! Not enough people this side of the pond even know who they are but I do and I love them dearly.
Acting Strange's Talk Talk Talk is out now via In Black Records. They next play live at A Night of Acting Strange, 17 June, at Carlton Studios, Glasgow.
The spangled glam-rock of their Talk Talk Talk LP is as raw as punk, as sexy as primetime T Rex and as debauched as The Velvets (minus the heroin).
To celebrate the record’s release, we ask the Glasgow trio, founded by cousins Ali and Billy Strange (and now augmented by Jack Rabbit Strange on drums), to tell us about the tracks that have informed their sound…
Jay Som - 1 Billion Dogs
I love how the corrosive fuzz of this track sits against her childish vocals. Really catchy and has a so bad it's good Nirvana guitar solo.
Angel Olsen - Shut Up and Kiss Me
Throwbacky and melodramatic, her most accessible single so far.
Pixies - Hey
The dynamic between the band in the middle of this song is the Pixies at their best. We always laugh at the ‘Said the Man to the Lady’ bit as we think it sounds like Will Ferrell.
Lee Dorsey - Get Out My Life Woman
Allen Toussaint wrote this apparently. Lee Dorsey's voice is like a pair of silk underpants over a fat ass drum beat. The piano playing is cheeky also.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Have to Ask
Suave street corner funk. The space in the verses is great with the heavey bottom end from the drums and bass. I like the kooky chorus with the wee synth and the backing vocals. One of John Frusciante's best solos, he was only 20 at the time.
Mac Demarco - Chambers of Reflection
This song just makes you feel nostalgic and blue, in a good way. It sounds like a warped VHS, very eighties. The melody is quite Lennonesque.
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
Really into the black keys. Love the drums the fuzz and who doesn't wanna just shake their money maker to this one?
Kings Of Leon - Waste a Moment
Kings of Leon tough choosing between this track and don't matter but I chose this one for its driving bass and a rhythm that makes me want to climb to the top of a mountain throw my hands up and yalp!
Hanni El Khatib - Gonna Die Alone
Hanni El Katib newest album prouduced by one of my fav guitarists Dan Auerbach...love the offbeats and overall beats in the song and of course the fuzzieness.
A Perfect Circle - Judith
My favourite band ever! Not enough people this side of the pond even know who they are but I do and I love them dearly.
Acting Strange's Talk Talk Talk is out now via In Black Records. They next play live at A Night of Acting Strange, 17 June, at Carlton Studios, Glasgow.
