Beltones

This sounds more like something that would be born of some grey-walled housing estate in the UK than the product of sunny Florida. Taking their cues from Stiff Little Fingers, the Beltones play raw, old-style punk, and they do a pretty good job as well. They aren’t exactly prolific, as they’ve been together since 1994 and this is their debut full-length, coming three years after their first EP. The promo sheet claims they sound like ’50s rockabilly, ’60s mod and ’70s punk, which would make for an ideal combination. Unfortunately only the latter is really noticeable on this release. One of the standout characteristics of the Beltones is Bill McFadden’s vocals, which sound similar to Frankie Stubbs (of Leatherface). If this had delivered on the promise of ’50s and ’60s sounds, this album would have been outstanding. Even without those extras, it still makes for solid listening.