The Rakes
Capture/Release

THE REVIEW

Eleven barely listenable suburban anthems, despite the graceless voice of frontman Alan Donohoe. This is what The Rakes have to offer, yet another quartet from across the Channel that no one was waiting for. One of the few positive notes of "Capture/Release", besides the short duration (just over half an hour), is the lack of seriousness with which The Rakes take their music. In short: the message is the absence of any message. Good for them! The "the" in front of the group's name recalls the likes of The Strokes or The Libertines, but unlike these supergroups (now faded away, but that's another story) our guys' arrogance stands out at most in the sloppiness with which they present themselves in public.

Apparently, losers are in fashion in England. Nothing to complain about, when it comes to harmless characters like The Rakes. I would recommend at most downloading a couple of tracks (Strasbourg and Retreat), just to put your mind at ease and keep sleeping peacefully, comforted by the reassuring certainty of not having wasted 20 precious euros. Indeed, it is not worth investing money in almost entirely insubstantial ditties like these.