Minty Fresh peppers their roster with overseas acts (Prototypes, Klee, Husky Rescue) whose CDs are given a US re-release by the label. Alamo Race Track now joins the roster, releasing Black Cat John Brown shortly after they appeared at SXSW in 2007. The band’s first proper album, Birds at Home, was released only in the band’s native Holland and on France’s Fargo label. A quartet fronted by Ralph Mulder, Alamo Race Track’s influences are broad but not deep. They are as likely to borrow from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as from the Monkees.
Just over 475,000 viewers have tuned in to the impromptu performance of “Black Cat John Brown,” causing a minor fever on YouTube; the song’s attraction lies in its mix of equal parts “Spirit in the Sky” and light blues. “Kiss Me Bar” taps into the same sweet ‘60s revival as Belle and Sebastian’s “Legal Man” or Peter Bjorn and John’s “Let’s Call it Off.” The song evokes images of neatly coiffed girls in cocktail dresses, ready to have a little too much fun.
The call and response vocals and syncopated rhythms on “The Open Sea” lead pleasingly into, “Chocolate Years,” which brings the album to a satisfying conclusion with its ringing guitar chords and muted horn section.
Once Alamo Race Track abandons the playful ‘60s vibe, the remainder of Black Cat John Brown is incohesive. The band samples a wide range of musical styles, but too often their take is tepid and limp. They mimic Joy Division, minus the essential angst, with a nod to Gang of Four (“Northern Territory,” “Lee J. Cobb is Screaming A Lot”). The record loses steam when the tempo slows down (“Breaker - Breaker 1-2”) or the vocals get creepy (“My Heart”). The laissez-faire approach that makes Black Cat John Brown engaging fails the band as they genre hop, and the record feels several songs too long.
