aaamusic | On 20, Jun 2011

The Scoundrels are a surprise from the moment you have a listen. With a lacklustre band name and non-descript looks from the entire group’s members, I was immediately under the impression The Scoundrels were going to supply me with another helping of mediocre indie, however the sound is anything but.

The Scoundrels draw influences from everywhere, throwing up songs they associate with Louisiana and some elements of 50’s soul crop up in the album. The album is fantastically varied and the band deserve praise for doing something experimental, although some tracks like Outta Town Blues just simply don’t work, the end result is far too busy with an accordion and saxophone being added unnecessarily. But the beauty of Scoundrels is every song is different, and their faster paced minimalist songs work much better. One of their finest is Porno, which sounds like a fairly standard rock song until guitarist Ned Wyndham goes a little mental during an ear melting guitar solo. The Louisiana Song also manages to churn out some well assembled guitar riffs and the rest of the album follows suit managing to weave all of the 4 piece band’s instruments together perfectly, producing fantastic results.

The Scoundrels aren’t a band you can instantly appreciate, but if you’re willing to invest some time in discovering this promising act you won’t be disappointed. Fans of Kings of Leon will admire some of their work, although anyone with an eclectic music taste will be able to enjoy this.

Authors:Tom Crowther