Classic Punk
I would not be at all surprised to find out Marty McFly was the bassist for New York punk rockers, The Choke. No, I have not lost 'the plot,' nor am I picturing Keanu Reeves' occasional fill-in on bass for The Vandals and imagining Michael J Fox with a musicman; I'm trying to paint an elaborate metaphor whereby members of The Choke are given the ability to traverse the planes of time. You see, The Choke have succeeded where many other bands have failed – they have successfully captured the sound and energy of 1970's punk rock, and make it sound authentic.
Right from the first note The Choke sound like a proper 70's punk band. They adhere to punk's 'stripped down rock and roll' philosophy by dispensing with an intro to burst emphatically into an anthemic chorus and show their DIY ethic with the garage rock style production. The first track, 'Extra,' manages to address newspaper sleaze, sound like the bastard child of X-Ray Spex and the Cockney Rejects and do it in under two minutes, ticking the 'play it fast' box pioneered New York compatriots the Ramones. 'Luv Me Tomorrow' follows, delivering more of the same sonically but delving into other subject matter.
The Choke's traditional punk sound, coupled with their devastating female lead vocals feels like a familiar breath of fresh air, and on the basis of this release, are well worth catching when they tour in Britain later this month.