Published at 5:30 PM on October 23, 2008

By Courtney Balestier, photos by Sean Edgar

CMJ 2008, Day 2: Re-Revolutionary War with the Rumble Strips and Takka Takka

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[Above: The Rumble Strips]

On the second night of CMJ, we went back to 1775 (in our minds, at least) to pit England's The Rumble Strips against Brooklyn's own Takka Takka in a Re-Revolutionary War of sorts. There weren't any red coats or harbors full of tea, and no one was trying to oppress us, but with a lone British act warming up the crowd at Paste's Artist's Lounge in preparation for a celebrated Brooklyn band, what's a music writer to do but simulate a little faux cross-continental rivalry?

The Brits: The kicky Rumble Strips had one very obvious advantage: charming accents. Lead singer Charlie Waller, with requisite side-swept asymmetrical bangs, used his to explain that one song was about watching your wife chase off muggers in London. (Side note: Married lead singers always name drop their wives—perhaps a defense mechanism against would-be groupies? Discuss.) The Rumble Strips have a little bit of Dexy's Midnight Runners in them—in a good way—and a lot of octane. Tracks like "No Soul" and "Boys and Girls in Love" offered plenty of sing-along opportunities, and the constant supply of sax and trumpet was infectious without being annoying. (It crept as close to the Ska Border as I'm happy to travel without reliving my sophomore year of high school.) Throw in some rollicking drum beats, and you've got a retro sound made for revving up a crowd.


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[Above: Takka Takka]


The Brooklynites: Takka Takka was Williamsburg head to toe. The Rumble Strips' Waller may have opted for banter and big-eyed expressions, but Takka Takka frontman Gabe Levine, bespectacled in thick black frames, eschewed onstage chatter for shoe-gazing vocals and twitchy dance moves. (There was also an amusing Granny Peace Brigade button on his guitar strap.) The band played a tight, quick set that was a lot more downbeat than the previous act, and while we loved the percussion-kissed "Everybody Say," we would've liked to hear "We Feel Safer At Night." It was hard to hate the slowed-down pace with such a textured sound, though: There were so many guitars at work that the chords coming from them seemed like they were floating. Every time-- and there were a couple-- it seemed like a song was descending into some regrettable, ambient-rock place, the steady drum beats could be counted on to anchor everyone in place. In the end, we only wish they would've played longer.


The Verdict: Who came out on top? We loved the hometown act, but it's Wednesday and we've barely made a dent in the CMJ-athon, so Rumble Strips' energy was much appreciated. This time, looks like the British won.

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