The Boxer Rebellion - Watermelon
(Poptones)
Review by Jon Garrett

After four years of aimlessly wandering the A&R desert, former Creation Records chief Alan McGee finally stumbles onto an oasis or perhaps more accurately, a B.R.M.C. or Raveonettes. Signing to McGee's recently relaunched Poptones label, The Boxer Rebellion fits nicely into the new scuzz rock scene, taking its cues from original filth mongers, The Jesus and Mary Chain. But The Boxer Rebellion also displays a penchant for Verve-ian psychedelic sprawl and cavernous, echoing feedback, anathema to today's strict constructionists of the JAMC sound. The extra flourishes suggest this band could well outlast the competition. McGee and Poptones, meanwhile, could be in for a dramatic reversal of fortune.