Disco rock a go-go
'Sandy' swings somewhere between being a song made of guitar chords that are recognisable from a mish mash of other groups like Razorlight and The Strokes, and being the best thing ever because the vocals sound like a sort of edgy, disco version of Interpol. The lyrics, "He can just pick you up and do as he pleases/Then he'll knock you down and blame it on Jesus again", are instantly accessible and anything that mars popular religion has to be even more chique and in vogue. There's something I really like about 'Sandy'; it is undoubtedly full of funky rhythm and catchy hooks, but somehow a little indifference has had its way to stop my like becoming love quite yet.
B-side 'Putty Boy' has a serious slice of rock 'n' roll added into the flaming guitars and there's still a flicker of metrosexual, jerky, glam slipped in to make it all go down better. It's a lot more cohesive than the A-side and pulls out the plugs to produce something far more compelling and downright cool. The guitars pulsate away like Iggy Pop is about to take the stage, but 'Putty Boy' remains far more sleek than even The Stooges' best.
There are a lot of other bands adding together edgy rock, pop and indie chique and coming to the same conclusion, but C-Jags seem to do it particularly impressively. Whether they take it all the way will therefore be down to how well they carry off their vibrant sound live.