Ellington

It is a rare moment when a debut album can rival an album by The Clash. On several tracks you might think these rockers are channeling Joe Strummer with such raw D.I.Y. money. With a touch of the Replacements, the Vines, Blink 182, the Ramones and classic punk ska/dub, it has been some time since a band has delivered the kind of kick in the ass wake up call as The Strays. This high-energy rock and roll regales a fury of London, politics, guns and your right to revolution. This is the real deal. - Herman Snell