Robbers on High Street
Grand Animals (New Line)
By Jonathan Shipley
Published: July 14th, 2007 | 9:41am
Rock on, Poughkeepsie! Nothing says rocknroll like Poughkeepsie. Well, perhaps not. Poughkeepsie is known for the Smith Brothers cough drop factory, not as a factory churning out great musicians. But, then again, there’s Robbers on High Street. They started creating music in 2002; singer/keyboardist/guitarist Ben Trokan and guitar/singer Steve Mercado had been friends since they were kids in, yes, Poughkeepsie and now they tour the country with fellow indie-rockers the Redwalls and Baby Teeth.
After an EP (Fine Lines) and their debut full-length (Tree City) they continue to evolve with a Fountains of Wayne–meets–Franz Ferdinand musical vibe. The music is a funky disheveled romp through citified society with swaggering playing and ramshackle lyrics. “Crown Victoria” is like a Beatles tune turned contemporary with flavors of that older time when men wore flared jeans and cigarette ads were still on TV. “You Don’t Stand a Chance” is reminiscent of a Hall and Oates R&B jive, something you might listen to at the malt shop late at night with your buddies as you await your chocolate goodness. Most of the tracks have that old-time feel, that fun innocence of rock during its early days, but at the same time it contains whip-smart lyrics and wry observations that are the cornerstone of indie-rockers these days.
Now based in New York City with the musicians Jeremy Phillips and Tomer Danan completing the quartet, and with accolades coming from ;Spin, Rolling Stone, and the prestigious publication Teen People, and the release of Grand Animals, the guys should start emerging as a group to take note of and then, perhaps, under the Poughkeepsie entry in Wikipedia, Robbers of High Street will be placed under notable natives and residents, like Ed Wood.
Issue #35
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