Stream: The Stratford 4, ‘Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight’
Kevin Bronson on
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There’s a forlorn corner of the CD shelves at Buzz Bands LA headquarters reserved for promotional copies of albums that ended up never getting released. “Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight,” the third album from Bay Area quartet the Stratford 4, is one of them, entombed in an artwork-less jewel case with a “watermarked” warning, an Elektra logo and a 2004 date. It’s a fantastic slab of popgazing, long thought to relegated to the unmarked graves of victims of the music industry.
But now, 11 years after it was recorded, “Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight” has been released, and moreover the Stratford 4 have reunited in support of it. And it’s still a fantastic slab of popgazing, only with an interesting backstory.
After putting themselves on the map with “The Revolt Against Tired Noises” (2001) and “Love & Distortion” (2003), the quartet of Chris Streng, Sheetal Singh, Andrea Caturegli and Jake Hosek were signed to Elektra by Ric Ocasek, who then produced “Keep Your Head.” The record added some Ocasek flourish to the band’s vintage British shoegazing; the propulsive noise-pop of “Blissend,” “Just Sad Really” or “Cracking Up” certainly would have been welcome on FM radio in those days.
But just prior to the intended release, the Warner labels were sold and all the bands on Elektra were dropped. The Stratford 4 tried touring to drum up interest in the album, but by the time the foursome played the Troubadour in 2004, it was clear they were disheartened. They broke up shortly thereafter.
After some legal wrangling to regain control of their album and a meeting of the minds earlier this year, the Stratford 4 have decided to pick up where they left off. And “Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight” — with Streng’s laconic vocals in front of searing guitars and frenetic rhtyms — has been self released via Bandcamp (where you can also find their first two records). You could hardly find an album that better fits with today’s shoegaze revival, and next week they play their first show in 11 years, in San Francisco, with a visit L.A. later in the month.
||| Stream: “Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight”
||| Live: The Stratford 4 play Part Time Punks at the Echo on Sept. 27.
[…] Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery behind their new album “Better Nature.” ► Reunited Bay Area shoegazers the Stratford 4 play Part Time Punks at the Echo (10 p.m.), with Tender Age and Chatham Rise supporting. ► Jimbo […]