Rank Strangers is a nicely worked out trio of Mike Wisti on electric guitar, Davin Odegaard, bass, and Shawn Davis, drums. The singing is a fine example of contemporary alt, slightly raw but right into your head. The songs are genuinely song-like. The lyrics are poetic. And the arrangements are alternately heady, unpolished, and primal yet also show a real sense of unpretentious artsiness.
Mike plays some interesting guitar and somebody dubs in keys nicely. The bass thumps along effectively and the drums throb with a contemporary immediacy.
Garage rock can dwell in realms of the truly dreadful or it can come across as just right, artful within the now of making maximum use of the elements at hand. Rank Strangers occupy the good garage space. That means the music is not especially keen on slick production values, that the rock element is bent on keeping it a bit edgy no matter what sort of tune is on tap. And the band comes through as sincere and able to get catchy in a faux effortless way.
Does that paint a picture for you? I do hope. I found this one energizing, songful but eschewing pop oversheen. And that is very cool with me.
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