The Strange Boys: “Me And You”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Garage, pop, R&B, blues, and country: on any given night in Austin you’ll find a number of bands playing these genres in hundreds of clubs. But for the Strange Boys, all of these sounds fit into their own brand of music. The local group has been on the rise since the release of their 2009 album …And Girls Club, earning critics’ picks across the country. The members of Spoon are fans of the young group–the Strange Boys have toured with Spoon repeatedly, and Spoon drummer Jim Eno recorded part of the Strange Boys’ latest album, Live Music.
Live Music (“live” rhymes with “give”) finds the group polishing up, but not at the expense of their rock and roll tendencies. Part of the appeal of the Strange Boys stems from their devil-may-care attitude and brilliantly simple songs. Lead singer and guitarist Ryan Sambol crafts songs that have a lot of Rolling Stones swagger, but with a hint of nervousness and modern-day tension boiling underneath.
“Me And You,” the album’s first single, rides this tension all the way. Barrelhouse piano leads the charge, and the group alternates between their bluesy past and pure pop. But to the Strange Boys, these musical differences aren’t mutually exclusive. As Sambol sings, “we’re the same picture, but in different frames.”
Podcast: Download (2.9MB)
