The first track to introduce the album is called 'Handsome' and surprisingly it is the most successful song off the whole album. Straight away it swipes you off your feet with the upbeat and busy atmosphere that the guitars and drums create, whilst simultaneously being accompanied by the chirpy vocals of the lead singer; Justin Young. Personally, I am very glad that they have chosen this song to open up the album as it is short and sweet; which then prepares you for what is yet to come. I think that the track is not too serious, and in all fairness it sounds like perhaps they are trying to mock somebody?
"Lonely, bored & bad thank God I'm handsome. I'm as awful as they come, oh what a pity. So I thank the Lord above that I am pretty (so pretty)"
After that chirpy track, the mood drastically changes once it is followed by the second song called 'Dream Lover'. This song appears rather eerie and mysterious as when the introduction of the guitars and drums begin; it is very slow, yet sharp. The instrumental of this track sounds heavily influenced by some of Arctic Monkeys work off their new album 'AM'. However the contrast between 'Handsome' and this track does compliment the album. On the other hand, I find this track a lot more contagious compared to 'Handsome' with the repetitive lyrics of:
"When I shut my eyes, I got another dream lover. Somewhere in the dark, I got another dream lover."
I liked it how the pace and tempo increases on the chorus then it begins to mellow again when it goes back to the verse.
'Minimal Affection' is the third track on the album, and it has a rather groovy and techno beat to it. The song sounds quite soft, however that is due to the actual depth of the song being very despondent.
"Anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone? Is there anyone there? Fall back and into the quiet where I've wanted you for so long."
I think the message that the Vaccines are trying to portray is that they will always find a fault when they meet somebody new, because no one will compare to the partner that has just left.
"Moving on, we don't have a lot in common."
So therefore, he concludes that he would be better off alone.
'20/20' is the fourth track on the album and it enters with a fast and rhythmic introduction. Followed by a catchy, repetitive chorus consisting of :
"I'm through thinking 'bout you."
Then the rhyming introduction is the last verse of the track, followed by the contagious and upbeat chorus which then closes off the song.
"You can cut the cord on me, but I got plenty. And hindsight sees in twenty-twenty."
This song is probably my favourite track off the whole album, due to the repetitive simplicity that it consists of.
Surprisingly the song to follow '20/20' brings the mood back down again, exactly the same way that 'Dream Lover' brings down 'Handsome'. The piano is played gently in a simplistic and constant rhythm; followed by melancholic dream-like vocals. The melancholic atmosphere within the song is the rooting cause to the drop in mood. This track is called '(All Afternoon) In Love' which is pretty evident towards the end of the song as that is all what Justin Young says. I think that they were aiming to try and make the track sweet and simple, but personally I just think that it appears as boring and bland.
'Give me a Sign' is another one of the strong tracks within the album. The vocals are very innocent and gentle on the verses, then it almost sounds like a different person singing the chorus! Young projects the chorus very prominently, therefore the contrast between the rise in volumes compliment each other very well. This song just creates a vivid image in your imagination of everyone at a festival projecting the contagious chorus back at the band, like their life depended on it.
"Give me a sign, give me a sign."
To me, the track 'Undercover' is just compeltely pointless. It's an empty instrumental with no structure, no vocals and to me it has no point. This track is the most pointless song that I have ever witnessed on any album, a complete and utter disappointment. There is no music for the first 28 seconds, then it follows with a constant and boring piano beat. Which is then accompanied by an almost-silent drum beat, until the guitar kicks in; leading to the guitar going silent because the drums and violin decide to overpower it. There is nothing 'undercover' about this track whatsoever.
After that appalling and pointless excuse of a song 'Undercover' I had developed high expectations for the next song which is supposed to resemble the album as a whole and that is called 'English Graffiti'. This is another slow and gloomy track. Although it is rather heart-warming, due to all of the little things that you notice in somebody that you love, being included into the song;
"And if on occasion I chew off your ear, it's just cause you tell what I wanna hear."
Therefore I'm sure a lot of people in their mid-twenties will relate to this track as this is the renowned time period where you are allegedly meant to meet your soul-partner. I would not say that it makes up for the previous track, however it is another strong track off the album.
In conclusion, I think that the album is mediocre. I entered with open ears; considering I had no expectations of the album, apart from towards the end. The Vaccines are definitely heavily influenced by the 50's with their slow and dreamy tracks. They also seem influenced by the 80's with their upbeat crescendo tracks. This album contains a whirlwind of mixed emotions and mood swings. As you could probably perceive, the main song that let the album down for me was without a doubt 'Undercover'. Therefore I would not exactly recommend the album as a whole. I would only recommend a few tracks like '20/20', 'Handsome', 'Minimal Affection' and 'English Graffiti.'
Disappointed.
7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment