I really wanted to like the Lost Kids because they have this line about "who’s that goose with the crazy boots," and they look super cool, in a trashy, downtown kind of way. But they are not quite there yet. They play that sort of punkified, retro-garage rock, like the Delta 72 or John Spencer Blues Explosion before they went disco. I bet they can tear it up live, but this record is just a bit too restrained to really get the kids dancing, screwing, and murdering (as all good rock and roll should).
But I have hope for the future. Belle Isle is on Fire is a four song EP, so they are just getting started. The first couple of tracks have a bit of psychedelica to them, with trippy reverbed guitars, and working a grimy, sub-blues vein, like the Yardbirds after they rightfully divorced themselves of Eric Clapton. The last song though, "Alive in the Snow," really rocks. The drums pound, pound, pound, and the lead lick drives unrelentlessly. The vocalist loses the crooning aspect to his singing that marked the earlier tracks and lets loose with a really unnerving scream. If the record were made up of this kind of stuff, it would be much closer to essential listening.
The Lost Kids have the potential to be sexy, dirty, and dangerous. I really hope that they find that place of greasy jeans, heroin, and driving too fast. Because if they do, they are really gonna kick your ass.
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