You probably haven't heard of Fake Ray. Indeed, if you Google the band
name, you are more likely to come across a catalogue of fake sunglasses than
the website of a band that, as their press release tells us, "skulk in the
darkest shadows of rock 'n' roll".
Well I wouldn't go that far - The first track begins with an agreeably
spiky riff that gradually builds atmosphere before folding into a
sing-along, indie-rock chorus that taps the same source from which Razorlight have been piping their recent crop of hits It
reverts from one to the other several times throughout the song though, and
the overall effect is slightly disjointed. It is by no means a bad song
though, and interestingly the second B-side is totally different: Nick Drake-esque poetics floating above swirling synths and guitars -
nice!
None of this is absolutely, outstandingly brilliant, and there's certainly
plenty of fresher and more exciting bands around at the moment. I wouldn't
advise you to rush out and buy this single now, yet there is enough here to
suggest that Fake Ray could well be one to look out for in 2005.
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