The Izzys Keep Your Powder Dry

New York City is rumbling with what’s hot in the indie rock world at the moment. From LCD Soundsystem to Grizzly Bear to Yeah Yeah Yeahs to TV On The Radio to MGMT, a sizeable chunk of the big hitters for a publication such as No Ripcord are based in the Big Apple. The Izzys, however, seem a bit disgruntled with their trend-setting, genre-diddling contemporaries and with Keep Your Powder Dry they look to take things back to the days when pigeon-holing bands wasn’t such a redundant exercise.

With that said, The Izzys tackle rock ‘n’ roll in the way that The Rolling Stones did – blending elements of rock, blues, country and soul the way you (or your parents) used to hear it. So, if your dad was a Stones fan, he’ll dig this. If your mama liked The Beatles, she’ll swear this is devil’s music. By all accounts, as homage to the good old days, Keep Your Powder Dry succeeds. There’s enough bluster, enough tunefulness and enough riffage to keep a fan of The Rolling Stones happy.

What’s more, Mike Storey may not be the next Jagger - and it seems unfair to expect that of him – but his lack of star-like charisma or vocal power adds a surprising element to The Izzys’s sound. They sound vulnerable where other acts may stray too closely to an unattainable goal, and they sound genuinely enthusiastic about the songs they’re playing, as if each of their own songs is one of their favourites to listen to in their spare time.

Tear ‘em on Down kicks the EP off with considerable chutzpah, clocking in at barely over two minutes. The track embodies what The Izzys do best – simple, shit-stomping, hand-clapping songs that transport you to where The Izzys want to be. Under the Sun and Lost on the Way drift along with decidedly less vigour, but they’re decent takes on a familiar staple of rock ‘n’ roll music - lazy, star-gazing, porch-dwellers. Elsewhere they’re less successful, specifically on You Are Free. Here the band are at their least inspiring ('Things are not what they seem / Except when they are / Don't let me down') and it’s the most blatant example of Keep Your Powder Dry sounding like a decent version of something you'd see in your local live music pub; pleasant enough, but offering little beyond nostalgia.

There’s always the feeling with Keep Your Powder Dry that if you wanted to listen to the Stones, well, you’d listen to the Stones. But that shouldn’t keep you from enjoying a relatively successful - if at times forgettable – take on a bygone era. The Izzys might not have the swagger or the pipes of their idols, but they make a good go of appeasing for it with sheer enthusiasm. If nothing else, for some it’ll make a refreshing change from all that avant-garde, innovative indie rock coming out of New York at the moment. And if you don't like it? Well, I get the feeling The Izzys probably don't care all that much.