The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

What did you expect from the Vaccines? is the title for British indie rock band The Vaccines' recently released debut album and it's an excellent question as well. And an undeniable statement. It's pretty head on, about as nihilistic as you can get with just a hint of arrogance. In short, it's very rock'n roll, if only on an aestectic level. The cynic in me however, would be tempted to reciprocate that question with low expectations. Because it's easy to assume that The Vaccines would be just another specimen in the seemingly endless line-up of overconfident, self-conceited and interchangeable indie rock combo's. The kind of band that considers itself to be the next best thing, excelling in vague, generic indie sounds, but lacking substantially when it comes down to actually backing up their carefully constructed image with decent songwriting and originality. And from that point of view What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? somewhat worried me, because Lord knows the last thing I was waiting for was yet another disappointingly bland it-band.

Wrongly, as it turns out, as The Vaccines produced a very decent debut. The band throws together a variety of rock influences, ranging from 50's rock over 60's garage rock to punk resulting in a very sharp sound, not groundbreaking, but very aesthetic nontheless. The Vaccines don't dispense any great pieces of wisdom through their songs, nor do they really dig deep, but the songwriting is at least refreshingly honest. The band somehow managed to find a very bareable balance between the kind of overly sentimental love songs bands like Kings Of Leon thrive on on the one hand and completely hollow songs about drinking partying an sex (which for many of today's young indie rock bands is plenty to constitute an album) on the other hand. Of course all in all the songs here still border on banality, but If only a little, The Vaccines distinguish themselves from the pack by how they take on these themes: heartbreak, being young, the whole shebang of what life is like when you're young. And sure, songs like 'A Lack of Understanding' or 'Post Break-Up Sex' hold in them a specific aim at younger audiences, but there's nothing wrong with that. Having said that, this is not one of the albums that will define 2011. For that it is much too casual and much too momentary. And moreover, there is hardly anything new to what The Vaccines bring. But that doesn't change the fact that this album is a breath of fresh air. What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? lasts just over half an hour and that's the way it should be. The songs are fleeting, the themes universal and the overall tone spot-on, maybe not made for eternity, but a flawless snapshot. In that it's a chronicle of youth, nothing more and nothing less. And at this point in their life, that just great.

Tracklist

1. Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)

2. If You Wanna

3. A Lack Of Understanding

4. Blow It Up

5. Wetsuit

6. Nørgaard

7. Post Break-Up Sex

8. Under Your Thumb

9. All In White

10. Wolf Pack

11. Family Friend

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

To say that Conor Oberst likes to keep busy is somewhat of an understatement. He has so far released seven solo efforts and has played in several bands including Desaparecidos, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and Monsters of Folk. And on februari 15th - his birthday - he released The People's Key onto the world, the eleventh album by Oberst with Bright Eyes, the project for which he is probably most acclaimed. Over the years Bright Eyes has been labeled as being folk, but for this record Oberst held different ambitions. 'We're over the Americana, rootsy, whatever that sound is', the singer stated to NME late last year in an interview about the upcoming album adding that the new album would be 'rocking and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern'. But the folk - and godforbid someone should call it country - influences definately remain present. And that's a good thing.

As per usual with Bright Eyes albums, The People's Key takes of with a semi-philosophical spoken word intro in 'Firewall', this time by musician Randy Brewer. With the charisma of a televangelist Brewer's ponderings on evolution, good and evil and Biblical faith service as sort of a thread throughout the album. The actual song is a moody guitar track, culminating in almost in a marching band-like finale. On 'Shell Games', the album's first single, the intent of the album starts to shine through. The guitars are turned up a notch, as the band takes a more indie-rock approach. On 'Jejune Stars' the bursting guitars reach Muse-levels of theatrics, but it doesn't necessarily lift the songs to a higher level. Contemporary maybe, but at the same time a little hollow and that's a shame, because Bright Eyes has always steared clear of unidimensionality. After all that the band tones it back down on 'Approximate Sunlight', to a much softer sound, much more complementary with Oberst's sharp, sometimes nagging voice and the spiritual lyrics. The track is carried by a sober, downcast melody laced with wavey guitar sounds and shreds of spoken word. Au fond it's songs like these that will grab you by the throat. Another highlight is piano ballad 'Ladder Song', the most fragile and at the same time one of the strongest moments on the album. The albums end with a rare dose of optimism in 'One For You, One For Me' and the final word goes to Brewer. The People's Key is definately their loudest album so far, but it's the silent songs that resound the loudest.

Tracklist

1. Firewall

2. Shellgames

3. Jejune Stars

4. Approximate Sunlight

5. Haile Selassie

6. A Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)

7. Triple Spiral

8. Beginner's Mind

9. Ladder Song

10. One For You, One For Me