Yes we know there's far too many jittery, post-punk guitar bands out there. Yet it would be unfair to dismiss The Rakes as just another Franz Ferdinand bunch of copyists, because they really are something special.
This re-release of one of the band's early singles is the perfect demonstration of why they're so good. A burst of drums opens the song before diving headlong into a whirlwind of epiletic guitars, handclaps and a chorus catchier than bird 'flu. As usual, it's Alan Donohue's bizarre vocals that are the highlight - with his Cockney twang you can never work out whether he's celebrating or bemoaning his lot.
As good as bands like The Futureheads and Maximo Park are, they really can't hold a candle to The Rakes - 22 Grand Job shows exactly why.
