SNAPSHOT

Personnel: Ross Farrelly (vocals, harmonica, percussion); Josh McClorey (guitar, slide guitar, background vocals); Pete O'Hanlon (bass guitar); Evan Walsh (drums, percussion). Recording information: Yellow Fish Studios, East Sussex, England. Photographer: Jill Furmanovsky. The Strypes' unlikely combination of teens playing music inspired by pub rock and the blues drew equal amounts of hype and goodwill from a constellation of rock stars. Before they even released their debut album, they'd signed to Elton John's management company, toured with the Arctic Monkeys, played with Paul Weller, and counted Roger Daltrey, Dave Grohl, and Noel Gallagher as fan club members. This who's who of support, and Snapshot itself, often feel like a last-ditch effort to get 21st century kids into rock instead of the rap, dance, and pop that captured their imagination (and the charts). Regardless of the hype and hopes surrounding the album, it reveals that the Strypes love and are well versed in the sounds of British blues-rock, pub rock, and the blues musicians who started it all. While the band may shrug off Beatles comparisons, the boyish energy with which they bound through these songs evokes a particularly well-recorded night at the Cavern Club (it doesn't hurt that Snapshot's producer, Chris Thomas, worked with the Beatles as well as the Sex Pistols). Like the Fab Four during that time, the Strypes sound the most confident on their own songs. There's a bit of a young Liam Gallagher's sneer to Ross Farrelly's voice on "Perfect Storm" (no wonder the band recruited him after hearing his version of "Wonderwall"), and he sounds anything but timid despite his complaints on "Hometown Girls." Elsewhere, the Strypes flex their songwriting chops on "What a Shame," where tightly coiled verses unleash bashed-out choruses. Snapshot might be more successful at reassuring rock fans of a certain age that some young people find sounds three or four times older than them exciting than it is at getting kids excited about bluesy rock. Taken on its own terms, though, it's a solid debut from a band that can only benefit from more experience. ~ Heather Phares