Rhubarb Rhubarb

After releasing a couple singles and the excellent Edwyn Collins/Seb Lewsley-produced debut album Clarietta, Charlie Boyer & the Voyeurs dropped the first part of their name and tightened up their sound considerably. So much so in fact that their second album, Rhubarb Rhubarb, sounds like a condensed version of their first. The live and slightly rough sound Collins and Lewsley got on their first album is gone, replaced by a smoother, more focused approach. The songs are a little tighter too, with less room for the rambunctious rambling that made Clarietta a little unpredictable. This time out the band spent a bunch of time honing and re-honing the songs for the second album, and it shows. On the razor-sharp "Stunners" or the chugging "Train to Minsk," the Voyeurs sound like a nice combination of the Strokes and Television, utilizing the best parts of each band. ~ Tim Sendra