popwreckoning

It’s easy to overlook the classics—especially, when at the time of their release, they were never recognized as classics. Over the past ten years there has been a rediscovery of Neil Young’s post-Harvest albums. For whatever reason, Time Fades Away, On The Beach and Tonight’s the Night weren’t as well received as Young’s previous offerings (the re-release history may speak for itself: On the Beach was at least re-released in 2003, Time Fades Away and Tonight’s the Night have yet to receive a re-release. While these albums have become a part of the hipster vernacular they have yet to find a larger audience).

Certainly the material on these albums is darker; and it doesn’t get much darker then “Revolution Blues.” Written from the perspective of Charles Manson the song seemingly follows the mass murderer’s descent into madness, inherent paranoia and obsession with fame and guns. The closing lines of the track go as follows:

Well I hear the Laurel Canyon is full of famous stars/

But I hate them worse them lepers and I’ll kill them in their cars

While much of On the Beach is comprised of slower moving odes to despair, “Revolution Blues” is a march through anger—led by a sort of super group: David Crosby plays rhythm guitar, while Rick Danko and Levon Helm of the Band play bass and drums, respectively. Ben Keith joins in on slide guitar while Neil delivers one of the album’s stronger guitar performances.

The song is haunting in performance and nature but more than anything the song carries a dark sense of humor: suggesting the need to accept the facts and understand their origin.

Take a listen: .“Revolution Blues”

It is rather funny sometimes how our preconceived notions can deceive us. Lars Ludvig Lofgren almost fell through my fingers into the abyss of CDs I refuse to listen to due to a name that I incorrectly assumed HAD to make them an awful death metal band from somewhere in Nazi, Germany. However, it would seem that Lars’ actual sound is more like a punk version of The Raveonettes than Rammstein.

I thank god for that and should you too. Because in all honesty, this band is worth a listen or twelve. Heterochromia, Lars Ludvig Lofgen’s latest effort is actually rather infectious. Their songs’ structure keep the listener interested with just enough catch to leave you caught up and shifting your body in time with the beat. Driving guitar riffs in tracks such as “It’s Ridiculous” or “Tiger In My Tank” remind me of better days when The Lemonheads and The Replacements ruled the world.

In my book, that sound is welcome to swing by anytime. Hell, it doesn’t even have to call ahead to make sure I’m free.

But, Lars Ludvig Lofgren doesn’t stop at simply sampling the 90′s signature sound. I can hear the Pixies, The Beatles and The Pretenders in their sound as well. Collecting these dated, throwback sounds that are rather popular in indie bands these days, Lars Ludvig Lofgren would be the perfect choice for a 2010 sock hop, should someone decide to throw one.  Seriously, picture it: prom queens in poodle skirts skanking to the catchy hooks of peppy numbers like “Canadian Maple Leafs” and “Candy Rome.”  They wait patiently near the vodka-spiked punch bowl, waiting for their steady to ask them to slow dance to “Across Your House,” before sneaking away to fuck in the backseat of the car at Lover’s Point, while “Round Your Heart” blares from the radio. An album like this would make James Dean proud

Track Listing:

1. Canadian Maple Leafs
2. Across Your House
3. Round Your Heart
4. Candy Rome
5. Give The Dog A Bone
6. Opportunity Knocks
7. It’s Ridiculous
8. Hope You’re Thinking Of Me
9. We Always Knew
10. Tiger In My Tank
11. My Kid Could Paint That

Hot on the heels of their highly anticipated sophomore album Contra to be released on January 12 in America, New York City’s Vampire Weekend have announced on their MySpace an extensive tour of North America.

The 24-date tour will begin in Edmonton, Alberta on March 14 and conclude in Oakland on April 19. The band is selling out all over the place: 4 dates previously announced for this month (one gig in Los Angeles and three in New York City) have already sold out, and so has an entire 10-date UK tour in February.

Tour Dates:
Jan 12 – Henry Fonda Theater / Los Angeles
Jan 17 – United Palace Theater / New York City
Jan 18 – Webster Hall / New York City
Jan 19 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City
Mar 14 – Edmonton Event Centre / Edmonton
Mar 15 – MacEwan Hall / Calgary
Mar 16 – Wilma Theatre / Missoula, MT
Mar 18 – In the Venue / Salt Lake City
Mar 19 – Ogden Theater / Denver
Mar 20 – Spring Jam Core Party / Aspen, CO
Mar 22 – First Avenue / Minneapolis
Mar 23 – Riverside Theater / Milwaukee
Mar 25 – Riviera Theater / Chicago
Mar 27 – Tennessee Theater / Knoxville, TN
Mar 29 – LC Pavilion / Columbus
Mar 30 – Sound Academy / Toronto, Ontario
Apr 01 – Orpheum Theater / Boston
Apr 02 – Electric Factory / Philadelphia
Apr 03 – DAR Constitution Hall / Washington, DC
Apr 05 – Ryman Auditorium / Nashville
Apr 06 – Orange Peel / Asheville, NC
Apr 08 – Tabernacle / Atlanta
Apr 09 – House of Blues / New Orleans
Apr 10 – Stubb’s BBQ / Austin
Apr 11 – House of Blues / Dallas
Apr 13 – Marquee Theater / Tempe, AZ
Apr 14 – Fox Theater / Pomona, CA
Apr 19 – Fox Theater / Oakland

Vampire Weekend: website | myspace | Vampire Weekend preview | @ Monolith 2008| @ Lollapalooza 2009 | Five-Hour Marathon of Rock at 107.7 The End’s Deck the Hall Ball 2009 | Vampire Weekend Streaming Contra on MySpace | Contra review

The Salt Walter Taffy House is a venue that I often frequent for shows, usually for friends that happen to be playing on a Monday night for 30 or so people. When I heard that Native and La Dispute would be playing there, I jumped at the opportunity to see them. Except this time, there were almost 200 people in attendance.

Let me explain what the Salt Walter Taffy House is: a two story house plus a basement. That basement is where these shows take place. It’s a small basement with a bar (used for selling merch), where 50 people is normally a large crowd. Over 200 is extremely packed with no room to move, especially not to dance without hitting someone next to you.

Six bands took the stage, or rather floor, starting at 7 p.m. Appleline, a local band, opened the show. They had an amazing female drummer who impressed me greatly and a female vocalist who rattled the windows with her pipes. They set a great mood for the rest of the night, setting up much anticipation for the rest of the bands.

Next was Grizzly J Berry, an indie/progressive/experimental band who also happens to live at the Salt Walter Taffy House. Having seen them a million times, I kind of knew what to expect. But, they brought out the fireworks for this show, changing up their set list with a new song.

Native was third, all the way from Northwest Indiana. The crowds moved in so close to see, the band barely had any room to move around. Their sound is almost like an angry Minus the Bear with edgier vocals. The guitar’s clean riffs accent the way the bass and drums fit together. The vocalist/bassist Bobby Markos puts so much passion into his performance, it’s intriguing. You can listen to Native by downloading their album Wrestling Moves on their Myspace or by streaming the entire thing.

I have never seen an audience as emotional as the one watching La Dispute. Well, except for maybe N*Sync when I was in the 4th grade. I was surprised to see that at least 40 people who knew every single word to all of La Dispute’s songs, and that’s a lot of words. The most memorable thing about La Dispute, are their lyrics. They’re deep and have so much emotion, enough emotion to send the crowd into tears. The fans were beating their chests as they yelled along and pushed closer and closer – even crashing into the band a few times. I walked away physically bruised and in mental awe.

La Dispute’s latest album, Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair was released in 2008. As part of their Here, Hear series, Here, Hear III was just recently released. Until January 17, the band will be taking only donations for it with all proceeds going to the Well House, in their hometown of Grand Rapids, MI. The Well House is a shelter that gives the homeless a place to stay and to try to get back on their feet.

After La Dispute, local bands took the stage to round out the night. The Senators, who had recently broken up, did a reunion set consisting of two songs.

Guitarist Dylan Pyles’ other band, Bottle Rocket, played a set after the Senators. Bottle Rocket is an instrumental band usually compared to Explosions in the Sky.

A hardcore band, Coronado Left for Dead ended the night. CLFD puts just as much emotion as La Dispute does into a show. Vocalist Storm Shaw has been known to lie on the ground and is always jumping around. He puts his entire heart into their set.

Having seen the other bands before, Native and La Dispute blew me away. This show was extremely breath-taking. The bands are currently on tour together so if you get a chance to go see them, do so!

Tour Dates:
Jan 2, 2010 – Ft. Worth, TX (US) @ 1919 Hemphill w/ Jubilee & Sohns
Jan 3, 2010 – Austin, TX (US) @ Emo’s w/ BrotherGhost & Candidate
Jan 4, 2010 – Hattiesburg, MS (US) @ 1126 House
Jan 5, 2010 – Tallahassee, FL (US) @ Coolifornia
Jan 6, 2010 – Melbourne, FL (US) @ 1008 1/2 House
Jan 7, 2010 – Marietta, GA (US) @ Swayze’s Venue
Jan 8, 2010 – Rome, GA (US) @ The Greenhouse
Jan 9, 2010 – Louisville, KY (US) @ St John’s Church
Jan 10, 2010 – Normal, IL (US) @ Jake’s House w/ Jake Cary

My favorite part of Lou Barlow is that he can make a song go both ways. He’ll craft an indie-rock classic that sounds great fast and loud or make it sound equally at home with the indie-folk arrangements he has become notorious for. Manson Family Picnic, from Brooklyn, appears to have stumbled across the same formula.

Their song “The Mistakes” seems to efface the slacker attitude—bringing up questions that are answered with callow joy. “What’s all this commotion about dying? Look at the ocean we’re all lying.” The message is centered on the ebb and flow of life.

The musical arrangement is centered on the band’s use of unique instruments (in subjective descending order of uniqueness): charango, glockenspiel, accordion, violin, banjo. The result is akin to the Carter Family playing indie rock. Similar to the Carter Family, Manson Family Picnic takes advantage of vocal harmony—in this way “The Mistakes” derives much of its appeal. You really feel like you’re getting a true band effort. It sounds fun and seems to say, “You will sing along.”

“The Mistakes” appears on the band’s self titled album along with six other songs that should instantly be listened to. Check out their stuff by visiting CDBaby or MySpace.

Listen here: .“The Mistakes”

Remember when the term “indie rock” meant something? From Dischord Records bands like Rites of Spring and Fugazi to 1990s lo-fi staples like Pavement and Elliott Smith, indie rock used to mean that a band maintained a certain aesthetic of raw, do-it-yourself production, and it meant that they released their records on independent record labels. Remember that? Yeah, neither do I. I’m 27 years old. I was raised on Nirvana and Pearl Jam, bands who eschewed independent labels for gigantic mainstream success. Nowadays, indie rock is a blanket term that can be applied to any number of types of bands and genres of music. That being said, Untied States is an indie rock band to the core. They are signed to relatively unknown indie label Distile Records, and their sound harkens back to a laundry list of well-respected Dischord bands (among many other bands too numerous to list) yet they still cover enough new territory to sound fresh and exciting.

I must admit that upon receipt of this album, I was instantly skeptical based solely on the name of the band. Untied States? So, it’s like, you know, the United States, but like “untied,” like we’re a nation divided or something. Get it? (Wink, wink). Yeah, I get it. However, being the good little music reviewer that I am, I pushed these reservations aside and started listening. I was floored; these guys are GOOD. These guys are REALLY good. After the first thirty seconds, I wouldn’t have cared if they had called themselves The Flying Burrito Brothers. Wait, there’s already a band named The Flying Burrito Brothers? Jesus, never mind. On to the album at hand: Instant Everything and Constant Nothing.

From the opening track “Gorilla the Bull,” this is a relentless, driving record that demands attention and doesn’t let go. It’s difficult to focus on certain tracks, and in this instance, that’s a good thing. Never mundane or repetitive, this is an album in the truest sense of the word. The songs flow into one another organically, and although each piece is unique enough to be memorable, the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. The bass guitar on this record is an electronic yet throaty thump that pulses through each track, providing consistency and cohesion. Steady verse parts often explode unexpectedly into reckless but well-orchestrated dissonance, and the song structures are as varied as they are unusual. All of this may seem a bit formulaic without having listened to it (I could have written the same review up to this point for my favorite Blood Brothers album), but this is most certainly not such a record. The vocals stand out quite markedly from other bands of a similar ilk; you won’t find any hardcore-punk shouting or pop-punk melodies on this album (and certainly no Blood Brothers screeching). Instead, expect to hear strange and ethereal singing often hidden (but not buried) under dense electronics. Colin Arnstein’s voice is haunting and familiar (with shades of Tim Kasher of Cursive fame), but his voice is decidedly his own. The heavy electronic foundation on which these songs are built is also a separating factor which will help this band stand out from the crowd. Many bands have attempted to fuse together their love of digitally produced sounds with garage band gusto; few bands that I’ve heard have done so with such complete disregard for either camp. I can just hear the band members now: “Too electronic for ‘true’ punk fans? Who cares! Too noisy and aggressive for the masses? Who cares!” Untied States seem to be making the music that they want to make, and that’s just fine with me.

Track Listing:

1. Gorilla the Bull
2. Not Fences, Mere Masks
3. Unsilvered Mirrors
4. Grey Tangerines
5. These Dead Birds
6. Take Time for Always
7. Bye Bye Bi-Polar
8. Wrestling With Entropy in the Rehabbed Factory
9. Delusions Are Grander
10. Holding Up Walls
11. Kowtow Great Equalizer

Written By Marc G. Gray

When I heard that The Classic Crime was playing their annual holiday show at the Showbox @ the Market, I was ecstatic that they were continuing this local tradition. With a great lineup at a legendary venue, the show promised to be just the thing to start off my holiday week the right way- a good dose of local talent mixed with just the right amount of fun and excitement.

Having been to the Showbox @ the Market enough times to find good parking during rush hour traffic, I got there early enough to stand in line and wait for doors. At seven o’clock sharp, the doors opened to a crowd of slightly damp but thoroughly excited Seattlites waiting to start the evening’s festivities. The venue had been decorated with Christmas trees and holiday lights to set the mood and the hum of an almost sold out show continued to mount as fans continued to pour in for the next half hour. At 7:30, the energy in the room was almost palpable as the first act took the stage.

First up was local band Katie Lavoie and the Verdict. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about them being on the line up since it was their first show, but I was immediately proved wrong. The sultry sound of Katie’s voice mixed with a strong background of brass, sweet guitar riffs, and a talented drummer brought back memories of big band holiday music and old school jazz. It became quickly apparent that they were full of good old fashioned local talent and would definitely be a band to keep an eye out for on future line-ups. With a quick twenty minute set, they didn’t have much time to interact with the audience but set the stage for the next local opener.

Moneta is a long time local favorite with a history of rocking the Showbox pretty well. Having opened for The Classic Crime many times before, this was only their second show since the recent member shake up. Opening with “No Surrender” off their second album Heroes, they rocked the crowd from the very beginning, showing off their new, edgier sound. Front man Jeremiah Kansky (Jerry to his fans) was his usual self, finding the diehard fans in the crowd and grabbing hands, singing in their faces, and generally working the stage and showing what the band is really about: the fans. The crowd started moshing along during other favorites like “A Better Defense,” “The Getaway” and “Letters,” showing their obvious pleasure at the band’s addictive lyrics and insatiable guitar riffs. Promoting their upcoming album release of Villians, the free downloadable single “Last Transmission” helped steal the crowd when Classic Crime front man Matt McDonald came out to help with belting the last half of the song. Finishing this amazing set was “We Fall As One” with the crowd singing at the top of their lungs and the entire band playing to their full potential- making the floor of the venue shake as fans pumped their fists in the air along with Jerry.

Third on the bill was Endeverance, hailing from neighboring town Tacoma and bringing a more mellow popish sound to the stage. Opening with “City Lights” off of their sophomore album Avenues, front man Seth brought a new kind of energy that kept the crowd going through “Masquerade” and into an acoustic ballad that had the crowd swaying back and forth. The band kept the holiday spirit alive with an acoustic rendition of “O Holy Night” before rocking the stage with the crowd favorite “Time and Time Again” complete with tambourine and Seth walking the barrier to rock out with the front of the pit. Included in this fantastic set was a slightly random show of talent with Moneta drummer Leo Martin hoping up on stage with a few floor toms and rocking out with the members of Endeverance. The crowd loved the almost Drum Corps worthy performance and Endeverance took it in stride and continued on. Polishing off this fantastic set was a long time favorite of mine, “Searching for a Call,” bringing to light the tremendous range of talent the entire band has, from ballads to rockesque hits. Since their CD release show for Avenues, it looks like they have formed a more cohesive group and have tightened up their sound a little, working out all of the kinks and putting on one heck of a good show before calling it a night and handing the stage over.

Continuing the night’s mellow tone was Kent’s very own Daphne Loves Derby, another local favorite of mine and a definite crowd favorite. This was the first show since the end of their recent headlining tour and they played a disappointingly short set of a handful of songs. After opening with “Cue the Sun” they switched it up by playing “Nouveau” and “Bedroom.” Next up was their smash single “Cute As Ever” in which front man Stu Clay invited brother Steven Clay onstage to add a touch of harmonica, making the crowd sway. During the set, it became apparent that Stu was going to switch guitars between EVERY song, but even though they were close at hand and it was a quick switch each time, it was also a little distracting and detracted overall from their set. With no mention of another album, the set was slightly bland and not up to their usual standards. Even so, D<3D played a cover of Third Eye Blind’s smash hit “Jumper” that had every person in the place singing at the top of their lungs- including the lighting tech and bartenders- and closed their set on a high note and just in time for the headlining band.

After an annoying, but necessary interlude from 104.9 The Funky Monkey’s promoters, a goosebump inducing recording of “Carol of the Bells” announced the arrival of our favorite Christmas act, The Classic Crime. Now avid fans will tell you that there is nothing like a hometown Classic Crime show and their holiday shows are even better. Busting out with the ever popular “The Way That You Are,” you could tell that Matt McDonald wasn’t quite warmed up yet, but by the time they started “Just a Man” off of their second full length album The Silver Cord, the floor was shaking and the crowd was almost as loud as the band themselves. The fun continued as “Say The Word” and a new single from their upcoming CD release (April 6th, 2010) blew everyone away. In hometown style, McDonald flirted with the crowd, saying hello to both new and old fans, and joked about Santa saying that he wouldn’t have time to deliver everyone’s presents this year. When McDonald asked Santa why he wouldn’t be able to, they launched into their addictive “Abracadavers” saying “It’s like I never have time…” Even though everyone was having a blast, it was time to tune it down a bit with mellow singles such as “Who Needs Air,” “Seattle” and “Headlights,” singles that span their first two albums Albatross and Seattle Sessions. After playing the ground shaking “The Coldest Heart” off of their debut album, they debuted a new single called “Solar Powered Life” that has been taking local radio stations by storm, and concluded with a winteresque song entitled “Salt in the Snow.” After the band waltzed off the stage to return with some holiday spirit- Santa hats for all, an acoustic version of “Silent Night” rocked the house before my all time favorite “The Fight” had everyone- even in the bar- singing at the top of their lungs. Finishing the set with a Merry Christmas, they left the stage and were done for the night.

I have to admit that being a huge Classic Crime fan, I knew the set was going to be great. But Friday night’s show was phenomenal, better than they have ever been. With two CD releases under my belt, more shows than I can count on my fingers and toes, and a few acoustic shows, that is saying a lot. Nothing but good things were said by the crowd as the venue emptied. Everyone is completely excited for the new album in April and the accompanying CD release show. Will it be any better than Friday? I think we will have to wait and see, but frankly, I can’t wait.

Photos and writing by Annastasia Gallaher

In an age where digital music is supreme, album art is easy to lose in the shuffle. So perhaps when handed Belief in the Process, carefully pondering the mysteriously blue cast series of cylinder objects that look like a cross between buttons and compartments on the front cover, then flipping over to wonder why the album had divided itself into three parts for the track list and then even continuing to wonder over the selection of incomplete lyrics on the inside was a mistake. Yet, when considering the band is the Belated, then analyzing every little decision made on this record doesn’t seem so insane.

Kansas City’s the Belated is a rare breed in the city. While many of the new bands in the area are busy experimenting with electronic loops and whistles and other bizarre gimmicky sounds popularized by the hipster crowd out of Lawrence, the Belated is staying more traditional to the guitar-rich, lots of cymbal-crashing rock band sound. The band does have a nostalgic 90s sound (which isn’t that surprising when considering one of the members hosts a ’90s at noon’ radio show), but that isn’t to say the Belated is stuck in the past. No, what it does say is that the band is aware of the past and knows how to respect it. So perhaps, carefully examining something like album art isn’t so crazy for a band like this.

The album starts with the band’s first single, “Intelligent Redesign,” a song ripe with big rolling drum crescendos ending with even bigger cymbal crashes.  A low bass riff trickles throughout the song. The pre-mentioned 90s vibe is most evident in the Soundgarden-like vocals. It’s a big song with a title that promises exactly what it delivers. The music video for the song says a lot about the band, too. A 90 percent serious video lightened with brief interludes of dancing from Kansas City’s favorite concertgoer.

From “Intelligent Redesign,” the band continues mixing broody vocals with even moodier instrumental patterns. The lyrics are dark, yet an aire of sarcasm and irony serve to lighten the mood rather than darken even deeper into a lyrical black hole. Just like the video, the band is mostly serious, but still fun. Singer Michael Richardson showcases phenomenal, dynamics as he goes from whispering “I Don’t Remember” to yowling down the scales like on “Someone – Somehow.”

The only problem with his vocals is that this is the element that is almost too unwavering. While the band, instrumentally progresses between bluesy riffs from the keyboard on songs like “Sacred” to the latina marching band sounds from the percussion on “Someone – Somehow” to the straight up rock on many of the others, the vocals seem stuck creating a slight tension. Yet, the diversity of the instrumental sound is something that is quite welcome on this album. The band shows that they are capable of engineering a new sound with just their skills and not modern music’s common desire to make “new” with computers. Sure, there are effects like reverb and echoed layering. There’s even the occasional synthesized string, but this is still very organic and fresh. They’re ranging from early Smashing Pumpkins to Silversun Pickups in the instrumentals and it works well for the Belated.

Though there are strong single possibilities with “Intelligent Redesign” and “Escalation,” the band crafted an album: not a collection of singles. Check the whole thing out, and yeah, the album art is significant. The album does seem to have three distinct sections. The first two thirds of the album is bigger than the last third, which serves as more of a catharsis by the time “Daily Rose” comes about. The selected lyrics are some of the more significant stand out lines in the songs. Yet as for the image and the arrangement of those lyrics? Those are best left to the imagination of the album’s owner.

As said before, the Belated is a rare breed not just for Kansas City, but for music in general. This is an album worth checking out.

The Belated is celebrating the album’s release this Friday, January 8 at Crosstown Station. They’re joined by fellow locals Nutchhatch 47 and Pet Comfort. Doors are at 8 and tickets are just $10. It is one of the first chances to see new drummer Stephanie Williams in action as well as hear the new tunes.

Track Listing:
01. Intelligent Redesign
02. I Don’t Remember
03. Sacred
04. Someone – Somehow
05. How Did You Know
06. Easy
07. Escalation
08. We Don’t Belong
09. Lazy Fascination
10. Wound
11. Daily Rose

Comic Arj Barker, popularized as Dave from Flight of the Conchords, will release his debut album LYAO Tuesday, January 26 in a CD/DVD combo. This release follows Barker’s Comedy Central special on Sunday, January 24. You can pre-order the release here.

Tour Dates:
Jan 14 -16 -  Hyena’s Comedy Nightclub / Dallas, TX
Jan 20 – Washington & Lee University / Lexington, VA
Jan 29 – University of Wyoming / Laramie, WY
Feb 4 – 6 – Parlor Live / Bellevue, WA

CD / DVD Track Listing:

1. LOL
2. <3
3. WTF
4. GTFO
5. ROFL
6. HFS
7. SOS
8. LMAO
9. JK
10. HAHA
11. OMG
12. BFF

Maybe you first received Vampire Weekend‘s self-titled debut like I did. Their African-inspired sounds were a sunny change and I listened to the album a good few times and liked it; I tried to see them live but that proved impossible as, by the time I’d heard of them, they were already beyond cool. I read articles on their possible influences here and there and started checking out the world music section of used record shops, even buying a couple of discs. Then, inevitably, something else came along and the Vampire Weekend album got lost in the far recesses of my external hard drive. Ezra Koenig‘s voice popped up on a few tracks as a guest, most notably on the Very Best‘s Warm Heart of Africa. But to be honest, I didn’t really think I’d hear much about the band again, or that they’d regain the amount of attention they had got for their debut — after all they’re not new anymore, we all have read and (in my case) forgotten their story, and this time around would there be the novelty of a different sound to draw us in? My feelings may not be all that common though. I know at least some of my fellow writers are looking forward to new material by the band; but in a fast-moving popscene, new work by the “it” band of a few years ago might simply be lost in the shuffle.

Which would be a shame, as VW’s new one, Contra, is a pleasant affair that’s well worth checking out. The band haven’t found a new gimmick, which is thoroughly appropriate — would anyone take them seriously if this time round they experimented with Indian raags or Indonesian gamelan (ripe for an indie makeover though it is)? No, instead VW have done the only thing they could do, which is update their sound slightly while still retaining the elements that make them who they are.

The biggest change to me is the band’s use of more electronic sounds. That might not sound too great to you if it was the afropop guitar that drew you in in the first place, but it’s really not bad. The rhythms retain their worldly vibe, and in a way the update makes sense — think of it as an afropop sound from the 90s instead of the 80s or something (sorry, despite recent purchases my knowledge of African music is still very limited); synths have been picked up, but the music has the same signatures as before, and besides it’s only noticeable on a few songs. Koenig’s distinctive voice grounds the album and is by now pleasingly familiar — on first listen, I really thought of it as his album less than as a band album. On further listen, though, it would be unfair to dismiss the musical contributions of the rest of the band, who provide a backing that ranges from manic on “Cousins” to soothing on “I think U R A Contra.” Themes of escape, regret, and loss are backed with some ornate string and piano arrangements, with a harpsichord popping up at one point as well. The band’s world seems to have expanded somewhat, or at least gotten less specific — I only heard one reference to Manhattan, and none to popular holiday destinations in the North East, despite the cover art featuring a preppy looking blonde girl complete with ruffled polo shirt.

A good effort then, and if you were a fan of their past work I’d recommend this album to you. Don’t let new single “Cousins” put you off, as that song is really more of an anomaly, and doesn’t represent this collection very well. I’m still hoping their stars have dimmed somewhat though — it’ll be easier to get concert tickets that way.

Track Listing:

1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up The Gun
9. Diplomat’s Son
10. I Think Ur A Contra