Having formed in 2001, Austin, Texas quartet Strange Boys have just released their third full-length album Live Music. The album was recorded on two parts, over two different periods of time. Making up the A-side are the first eight tracks, recorded in April this year with fellow Texan - and founding Spoon member - Jim Eno. Recorded at the end of 2010 were the last seven tracks that make up the B-side.

Eno’s producing prowess is immediately noticeable on opener "Me and You", sounding far more polished than previous work, Be Brave. However welcoming the listener with a jangly piano melody reminiscent of a Southern cabaret, it is difficult to not feel the album’s colloquial energy. ‘Omnia Boa’ the perfect amalgamation of rock and roll, bluesy influences and pop undertones; it rattles a long like a train on the tracks, before the chorus bounces in with a happy enthusiasm, a light metallic guitar riff and brisk drum beats, before returning to its low-lying regime. Following is ‘Mama Shelter’, which more or less maintains the casual rock aesthetics while travelling at a more lamenting pace.

What is disappointing about Live Music is it lacks the punk appeal that Be Brave was so perfectly flawed with. Even the B side songs written a year ago recorded in similar circumstances to their previous album, lack character and there is very little to distinguish the songs apart and make them memorable. Live Music is smile-inducing in places however hardly packs a punch. The songs may just hold a little more weight in their live incarnations, as the title of the album would suggest.

Review Score: 6.0 out of 10