You can tell from the three exclamation marks in the title that The Star Spangles are obviously krrrrraaaaazy guys in the same way that anyone introducing themselves with the phrase “I’m mad me,” is very clearly not.
They’ve caused a mixed response since they emerged with their debut single back in December (as Roddy Woomble was heard to mutter, “that support band of ours, they’re really greasy...”) and while I loved ‘Which One Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down’ for it’s bouncy pop jauntiness, with the album you feel they’re trying just slightly too hard and there’s not much you haven’t seen before from a million other bands trying to be The Ramones. Bazooka!!!’s 13 tracks include their previous four releases (‘I Live For Speed’, ‘WOOTTOUIGBTHD’, ‘Stay Away From Me’ and ‘Stain Glass Shoes’) plus 2 covers (‘Crime Of The Century’ and ‘I’ll Get Her Back’ - which used to be called ‘I Want You Back’) which are fine if used as b-sides but I don’t get why they were promoted to album status.
So they look the part with sneers and cheap suits in place and in parts the album’s a good dance-about-don’t-think type of affair but it’d be even better if they came out of the shadow of their very obvious influences.
