This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“I wish I had a gun so I could get wasted,” pines Stroke singer Jason Kelly. Obviously, he’s a man who knows how to have a good time.
And at the stylistic surprise party that is his London quintet’s debut album, he’s the host with the most, dishing up a hearty smorgasbord of sounds — grandiose Britpop, industrial aggro-rock, tense trip-hoppy electronica — and joining in the mischief by breaking into the odd chorus of Born Free. “I’m not peculiar … I’m twisted,” he screams by way of explanation, shredding his vocal chords like Roger Daltrey gargling with napalm. I couldn’t agree more — even if, at other times, he manages to sound just a little too much like Sting for his own good. First In Last Out isn’t quite a work of genius, but it is most assuredly a stroke of originality. Come early, stay late.
