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The late, great Steve Marriott’s son Toby fronts the late-’70s London flashback called The Strays, proving that talent doesn’t always skip a generation. Right outta the box this thing pounds away like a drunk monkey with a sledgehammer. Few if any (out of hundreds over the years) ever deserved to be compared to The Clash, but The Strays’ energy, diversity and catchy tunes make them the exception. Details revealed by high fidelity recording often expose transparency and lack of substance, and many a lesser Punk band’s material couldn’t hold up under the scrutiny of modern production’s microscope. But Le Futur Noir is a consistently rewarding collection of heavy, poppy, high-energy tunes, emboldened and bolstered by big production but still very loud and “live.” (Proceed with caution: the raucous drum tracks alone are enough to shake loose the plaster in your walls.) OK, so it’s way too soon to tell if they’ll enjoy even a fraction of The Clash’s shelf life or notoriety, but in the meantime these boys are off to a scorching start. (Ric Hickey) Grade: B
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2006.