What a strange little jewel of an album. VietNam's self-titled debut album is a retro sounding amalgamation of Dylan vocals, hinting at the Mark Knopfler/Leonard Cohen at times, over a Velvet-Underground-meets-Sonic-Youth sound. Okay, now I've got the music wankery out of the way (all true by the way) I can get down to business.
This is a lovely wee collection of songs. Really. The words are cowboy blues meets the drug-ravished streets of the underground scene and, I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the storytelling style in a lyricist. Mr vocalist, Michael Gerner, has one of those cracked voices beloved of singers who inhabit that low-light, claustrophobically small, whisky-as-payment type of bar that, in my head, you find taking up where jazz bars left off. The music is a 60's psychedelica sliding into the Sonic Youth-esque screaming, clashing approach which means there's always something to process. In the more melodic areas the almost-orchestral sound hints at Oasis when they were at their musically layered, opus writing peak.
Listening to this album was a real pleasure to be honest. My biggest dilemma is how many comparisons I made whilst listening. I can quite clearly hear the influence in every single aspect of these songs but struggle a little to pinpoint the sound specific to VietNam. Each song brought a different moment in my personal music history to mind. For example 'Too Tired' immediately made me think of the photograph of Marc Bolan in skinny jeans and a fluffy coat doing his Mighty Boosh look at the camera (you know the one). Maybe the band need to look a little closer and find the aspect that makes them as unique and incorporate it into their writing.
In saying that, I still enjoyed this immensely and continue to do so every time I put it on. If you are vaguely aware of the 70's Velvet Underground psychedelica movement, and like the retro sound, then this is an album you'll enjoy. If you're a huge fan of the 70's Velvet Underground psychedelica movement then give this album a listen. You'll spend 45 minutes naming that influence whilst listening to a competent band playing their modernised version of a well-versed sound. At worst you'll wonder why they're bothering but it'll get you itching to retrieve all your old vinyl from the attic and re-live the good times - gotta love nostalgia.
VietNam is out now on Kemado Records
http://www.myspace.com/vietnamtheband
