The Rogers Sisters - ' Three Fingers' (Too Pure Records/ Troubleman Unlimited) Released 25/04/05

This album should really be called 'Two Fingers, Stuck Firmly Up In The Air At All That Is Normal'. But that’s not very succinct is it?

This NYC born seven-track work with four bonus tracks plays with the current formula of 80’s New Wave synth-powered post-punk pop, with its swaggering beats, strings, synthesisers and angular riffs. It also features some very odd vocals from sisters (of the Rogers variety) Jennifer and Laura and their new recruit Miyuki Furtado. Their sound is as original as it is weird. It fuses Karen O vocals with a Kelly O(sbourne) ear for what makes for pleasant listening.

Opening track ‘Freight Elevator’ begins with a bass line that signals some kind of impending doom. That leads into some stripped-to-the-waist singing over thumping drums and guitars. The chorus descends into whiney chanting then ascends with climbing synths. The funky ‘45 Prayers’ isn’t that memorable apart from some pop-u-like “uh-uh-uh-uh-uh“s.

The bizarre ‘Fantasies Are Nice‘, (also masquerading in French as a bonus track) uses mind-bending synths and 80’s drum-machine stabs before the crazy lyrics kick in. This track focuses on what appears to be some kind of basement-dwellers American dream;”I bought an SUV/I bought big screen Tvs/I bought a kitchenette/I bought a Lear jet” after the Sisters wisely advise that “Wearing glasses does not make you happy/ Driving a new car means nothing”

‘The Secret’s Of Civilisation’ at first glance appears to try and outline the beginning of time, but it is probably that upon closer inspection it is basically about sex. The nasal and whiney boy-girl call and replies discuss “When it all led up to this dramatic moment in time” and the bridge is a bit more blatant.; “Rise up/Plastic opinion/ Go down/ Into Atmosphere”. Nice!

‘Check Level’ is a messy creature with a complicated structure. It’s all over the shop with a shouty chorus. ‘Five Months’ is so obviously about a break-up it should be drinking Lambrini and scoffing tear-sodden pizza. Its sickly lyrics aren’t sophisticated enough even to be kitsch, which is hard when you are an 80‘s inspired New York band; “I used to take small bites of rainbows/ Yards and yards of cotton candy tulle”. ‘You Won’t Believe It' is easily the most catchy on the album. Its’ intro is reminiscent of The Hives ‘Walk Idiot Walk’ and is memorable enough to be sing-along-able.

Overall this is weird but not quite wonderful. It could be if it had found a neater structure and didn’t try so hard to be an outsider by not fitting into any particular genre. But that’s probably the whole idea. This band won’t seem completely out of place in the darker realms of MTV 2. The CD also looks like a doily, so it could always come in useful for resting mugs or hiding unsightly marks on occasional tables.