Rob's Album Of The Week: The Postelles' ...And It Shook Me

New York City has always had a pretty cool rock & roll scene over the past 50 years or so. You got bands like The Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Jawbreaker, Nada Surf, The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav, Javelin and TV On The Radio that all have called The Big Apple home and/or still do. One really cool garage-pop band from The City That Never Sleeps that still hasn't gotten their due is The Postelles, who have their brand new album ...And It Shook Me out right now and it definitely is a groovy piece of music.

The band's second album reminds me a lot of 70's Elvis Costello, The Jam, 60's British Invasion rock & roll and even a little bit of old-school doo-wop. If you've been looking for the closest thing to a mod band in the 21st Century, then The Postelles are absolutely that. Combining pop rhythms with rock chords, this quartet from New York City are both a blast from the past as well as a breath of fresh air in a music scene suffering from an identity crisis. When I say pop, I don't mean the stuff you hear on mainstream radio nowadays. By pop I mean that these guys are the closest thing to a marriage between genuine rock & roll and the styles of Frankie Valli in decades.

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Here's that time again where I tell you my favorite tracks off of my Album Of The Week, and you know it's never easy. It's like trying to pick your favorite beer, your favorite supermodel, your favorite muscle car or your favorite mansion. I guess by you know what I'm trying to get at. Anyways enough of me and my classy introductions, here goes something:

"You Got Me Beat" has that infectious drum beat and driving guitar riff that makes your ears bounce and your heart swoon. "Tidal Wave" brings a touch of synth to make it an ultra-dancy number that's sure to make your feet move around a bit. "You Know I Won't" is insanely catchy and straight up rocks, I have a feeling that this track is the one that gets people to do the pogo when The Postelles play live. "And It Shook Me" is a great title track that has what it takes to be a genuine hit. I picked only a few but that doesn't mean that every track off of The Postelles' new album isn't worth a listen or two.

The Postelles will be kicking off a summer tour of The United States and Canada at Soho Restaurant & Music Club in Santa Barbara, CA on May 20th and concluding the tour at The Studio @ Webster Hall in New York City on June 11th. Unfortunately The Postelles won't be hitting up the New England area but hopefully they will the next time around. Until then, grab a copy of ...And It Shook Me and indulge your senses into a record that will definitely shake you.

- Rob Duguay