In September, Brighton’s Strange Cages released their second EP, ‘Silver Queen’ via the record label of the moment, Vallance Records (home to Sisteray, Beach Riot and False Heads).
Sleazy garage-psyche music, is too often devoid of emotion and passion. Too often a display of self-indulgence and mass ego. Well, Strange Cages, with influences indebted to Iggy, Toy, Neu and The Horrors are hell bent on bucking that trend.
Despite the hallmarks of the past in play, Strange Cages have found ways to make this EP relevant to 2018. There are the pop machinations of Blossoms and Goldfrapp shining through the synths on ‘The Leeches, the Fakers’. Meanwhile, ‘Children of the Gutter’ is a lost single of their peers Cabbage.
‘False Prophet Death Waltz’ and ‘Lasers of Joy’ are not the sounds of sane men. Psychotic and hullucagenic, thee early fire of the The Horrors is in full force. ‘Meanwhile, ‘Sick With Desire’ throbs like The Stooges one minute before seguing into the more beautiful moments of Syd Barrett’s Floyd era.
Ultimately, Strange Cages are a band with a clear direction and clear influences but not yet their own distinct style. It won’t stop you returning to the record but, the sense the sense that something truly great can come from this band lingers in the air.