Madison Strays

Madison Strays ‘Last Train’ (A good time folk record). Debut release from New York combo Madison Strays who it seems fed up with waiting for the long predicted Psychedelic Furs revival to appear (hell every other 80’s act has been reclaimed of late) have decided to fuck it and start their own. And before you think that I’ve got a downer on this think again, this is one of those ‘can’t get you out of my head’ records that once heard will haunt your waking days, Psychedelic Furs to a tee ‘Last Train’ may be it’s still a killer cut, honed with irresistibly cool swagger that’s filtered with a floor rumbling underpin and an unfeasibly infectious clockwork dynamic which from the instant that the stylus kisses the vinyl the chiming chords whirl into view to caress and wrap you in their resplendent haze of heavy hanging grandeur that recalls at times a smouldering variant of the Chameleons and a less mood swept Inch Blue while all the time subtly nibbling away at what sounds like to these ears the hook line from Human League’s ‘Lebanon’. Flip side features the equally attractive cosmic glide of the shades adorned ‘Die Alone’ with its grooving star bound atmospherics and sneering fingernails on blackboard gritty chorus thread which by rights should ensure that the more adventurous among you will be pouting and purring while acting out your best indie rock star looking mean as fuck air guitar pose. Ultra limited seek out and acquire now or else face ridicule from your more clued up mates. www.goodtimefolk.com - LosingToday.com

New Yorkers have a habit of begrudging LA its mild weather and easy fashion, and somehow SoCal rarely lives up to our sonic standards, but tonight's openers, brassy girl trio the Like, are out to prove us wrong. After the Like, catch blogger darlings Five O'Clock Heroes and the rock 'n rollicking New Blood Revival. Local emo psych-outs Madison Strays headline, offering a glimpse at what the Bravery were perhaps (over)reaching for.


- Flavorpill.net

Madison Strays – Last Train. What an excellent selection I’ve been passed this time for review. So on we go with the positive vibe this sunny afternoon. This New York band was clearly bought up on a diet of all things Anglo. The Mission, Gary Numan and Psychedelic Furs all leap to cerebral mass. Which, I suppose, will inevitably draw comparisons to Interpol, and that Gothic thing I remember the first time round. Nobody did it like The Sisters, in my opinion, but this is good, driving, throbbing rock, all the same. A band to watch. - Bracken Records

Madison Strays get a single on the cool Good Time Folk Records. It’s a little Psychedelic Furs and a bit Kaisers. “Last Train” is perfect for The Killers fans out there. - The Fly

Madison Strays “Last Train” (A Good Time Folk Record) EF: Last Train is steaming its way into stations all over the country. Drawing on Cure, New Order, and Psychedelic Furs for inspiration, there’s also a good helping of Echo and The Bunnymen spooky eighties piano. The band have emerged from the latest wave of vibrant New York talent, but have a darker more melancholic twist than the likes of The Bravery. You can expect a lot of teenage girls to mope after them, especially with their super trendy haircuts.
- http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=82918

Madison Strays - Last Train/Released: 16th May 2005/Label: Good Time Folk ‘Last Train’ is the debut single by the New York based Madison Strays. Recently signed to UK label, A Good Time Folk Records, it’s the first British release for this new and exciting band.

The A-Side ‘Last Train’ is a vibrant and pulsating track with flourishes of The Psychedelic Furs. It’s danceable indie at its best with a slightly dark and arty twist. The opening bars of the track are reminiscent of Interpol with dark powerful guitars and melancholic vocals. The track is incredibly catchy showing Madison Strays not to be a new trend but rather great songwriters capable of penning catchy, danceable art-rock. The instrumentation is very tasteful with searing guitars and beautiful flourishes of electronics, creating a new and relevant sound of their own.

The B-Side ‘Die Alone’ is a much darker affair with more prominent electronics and a slightly more metallic sounding style. The track starts with a synth-pop styled bass line before building with a driving beat and Cure-esque guitars. Although not as anathematic as the A-Side, it’s a great track showing a less poppy and experimental side to band. The track takes many detours and keeps the listener interested by being very unpredictable.

Overall Madison Strays are an interesting and intriguing band that’s created a unique and exciting sound of their own. By being incredibly catchy, danceable and driving, Madison Strays show a great new promise. With tracks like ‘Last Train’ under their belts too, hopefully the band can only go from strength to strength. Daniel Ogden
- http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/index2.php?db=national&page=reviews,index&review_start=50

Edition 2GMDFRI 27 MAY 2005, Page 60
Something for the Weekend; Music by Jaqui Swift
MADISON STRAYS Last Train
Latest New Yorkers hoping to create a buzz in the UK. Sounding
a lot like the Psychedelic Furs which isn't a bad thing.
- http://www.thesun.co.uk/

OK this is big big news!!!!! Emerging from the vibrant New York scene, Madison Strays take aspects of the Anglophile, 80s obsessed stylings currently de rigueur among purveyors of danceable indie, and give them a darker, more melancholic and artful twist. "Last Train" is a promise of anthems to come – a swaggering, pulsating throb of Psychedelic Furs-tinged rock'n'roll, which indicates Madison Strays as more than capable of being the next NY export to win hearts and minds across the Atlantic. These are going to very big!!!!! You heard it here first!! - http://www.piccadillyrecords.co.uk/ver2/index.php?PHPSESSID=7fff33271892b72a70c8b4954d15df11&url=htt

Madison Strays – Lost In Photos. With the current success of Anglophile groups like Interpol, The Killers, and The Bravery, it would not be shocking if Madison Strays suddenly found themselves in the midst of an A&R frenzy. After all, Madison Strays has recent gigs alongside Kaiser Chiefs, Elefant, and the aforementioned Bravery to its credit. And, impressively, the songs of Lost In Photos feature the production of Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus and Tim O’Heir (Superdrag, The All-American Rejects).

Dark yet poppy, the three songs of Lost In Photos have varying tempos, but all blend together with Rich Ragany’s guitar bursts, Dan Chen’s synth riffs, and Belvy’s slightly-digitized, faux-British vocals...If there is one complaint about this EP by comparison to the other nocturnal artists of this genre, it is that its upbeat stand-out of a track, “Grace,” is the disc closer. A song with the most hit potential of this set, “Grace” is the sort of track that ought to win over mainstream listeners with its danceable pulse of a rhythm. To each his own, perhaps…

While it is difficult to evaluate a band through a self-released demo, you would have to be jaded to not see the potential in Madison Strays, who already have achieved radio airplay (and a deal) in the U.K. Seeing as how The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Instruction are three examples of New York bands that earned massive exposure in the U.K. before catching the time of day in their local industry, we could very well be looking at rock’s next big exports-turned-hometown heroes. Darren Paltrowitz
- http://www.cityzen.tv/

20 May 2005: Blood Arm, Madison Strays, Mighty Six-Ninety, Camden Barfly: I can't believe it's not Butler! Yes, folks, such is the cry that goes out as we launch ourselves at another fortnight of quality gigging, for we're in the keenly-tipped company at the Barfly of Madison Strays, a band who, unbelievably, have wrapped themselves in not only the lizardy loucheness of the Psychedelic Furs but also a clutch of Suede's glam-dram clobber. Oh, and for a good quarter of their set they get desperately electro. It's something they should do more often, since, as fine as their ideas are, there's a complacent New York distance to them, and ultimately, though the impressive 'Last Train' is doubtless intended to take them down the same limited-release-into-worldwide-fame pathway as, say, The Bravery or the Magic Numbers…
- http://www.playlouder.com/feature/+themoffatshows-16/