Yet another overdue review is beginning to make this reviewer wonder about the quality of new albums that have been released in the past few months.
Apart from 'Little Kix', and 'Kid A', nothing has grabbed the attention of someone who listens to anything between Classical (like Ravel or Vivaldi) to Marilyn Manson and Metallica. Therefore, a two year trip down memory lane is on the agenda, through the debut album from the then Bristol based popsters, Straw.
Regarding the band members, it is another case of the collective offering being more than their individual parts. In Mattie Bennett, we have an impressive guitarist/singer/songwriter, in keyboardist Duck (aka Mark Blackwell) we have a heavily under-rated producer, adding loops and samples to complement Bennett's songwriting prowess. And in Andy Nixon and former bassist Roger Power, we have a solid percussion system; more than capable of offering a wide range of rythmns and keeping it tight.
From the opening song, "Dracula has risen from the grave", we get a clear idea of Straw's quirky influences, reminiscent of the Britpop era, and it has been a pity that apart from 'The Aeroplane Song', chart success has eluded them.
However, they have not completely contradicted the sombre sounds of fellow Bristol band, Massive Attack, as title track 'Shoplifting', amongst others is very downbeat, with horror-movie sounding keyboards complementing a tinny acoustic guitar, to create this spaced-out ambience. They do offer much more humour than the likes of Massive Attack, and this comic-book humour is evident in 'Weird Superman', 'Anthem for the Low in Self Esteem', and 'Wake up(Miss Venezuela)'. I would also recommend letting the cd continue to play to the hidden track at 13:08 minutes of track 12. It is a sombre sea-shanty, but recounts the emotion when drifting apart from a lost love, and haunts the listener with eerie keyboards and acoustic guitar.
As an album, it is a breathtaking debut, and successfully paves the way for the second album, "Keepsakes" to keep Straw fans hooked.

Craig Aston

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