REVIEW: The Vaccines – ‘English Graffiti’

I am not afraid to admit that The Vaccines’ music has washed over me in the past with little impact. We already have a British four piece, The Arctic Monkeys, who had already done much of what The Vaccines were doing in their first two albums. The Vaccines to me seemed like the nonintellectual man’s Arctic Monkeys. So what’s changed, I hear you ask? Well, despite my misplaced and quite frankly harsh criticism of The Vaccines, I gave into intrigue and listened to them.

Now, as I write this, I would count myself as a fan. They have gone from being ‘not quite Carling’ in my mind to a band which contains lashings of whit, dollops of charm and a whole lot of indie rock which left me with a hankering for more. And now they are us serving up some pop…

If ‘English Graffiti’ was a fizzy drink, it would definitely be an Iru-Bru. Nobody really knows what flavour it is, but it is still highly refreshing. The album kicks off with an 8-second sonic tease which makes the listener believe that it will be the same fast-paced indie-rock to which we have become accustomed to with the Vaccines.

‘Handsome’ certainly kicks off the album in that way with a fast paced drum beat, twinkling guitar and a thundering bassline all driving the song. On top of this Young’s lyrics tease irony, considering he has grown from a shy front man lusting after a 17 year old model in ‘Noorgard’ to almost egotistical depending on his looks to get by gives a nod to just how far they have come.

From there on out though, that is exactly what this album shows: development. ‘Dream Lover’ leaves the listener asking “How could five notes sound so powerful?”. The distorted guitar and swirling, echoing vocals leave a psychedelic resonance with the listener. Not to mention Young’s opening lyrics ‘Do you recall desire?/Like it matters/It doesn’t matter much to me” truly show him as a dedicated wordsmith who is at the peak of his powers. ‘Minimal Affection’, track three, continues on in this same vain bringing a bit more electro-pop into the mix. The source of the song’s power comes from its simplistic yet forceful drum beat and pummeling bassline mixing to create a whirling melting pot of psychedelic, poptastic funk during which you can’t help but groove along to.

The only disappointing sip I took during the eleven tracks which makes up ‘English Graffiti’ is ‘20/20’ as it sounds very formulaic. It combined bits of Blur’s ‘Song 2’ and Maximo Park’s ‘Apply Some Pressure’ but fails to deliver the same kind of dirty, manic sound that made those songs great.

Following ’20/20’ comes a delicate ballad from the band. The guitar’s melodic and echoing sound teamed with the harmonious piano gives ‘(All Afternoon) In Love’ one of the most peaceful intros ever created. This song sounds like the love child of Alex Turner, Tom Odell and Rufus Wainwright and is quite frankly a sonic masterpiece. They then pick up the pace to wake you up from the slumber they have just induced with ‘Denial’. Sounding like something you could have picked out of your Dad’s 80’s dance music collection, you will certainly find yourself throwing some groovin’ shapes to this song in a house party near you soon. The breakdowns, the R&B sounding clap drum beat and the lackadaisical, effortless falsetto vocals leave you just wanting to dance and jive the whole night away.

Continuing the whistle stop tour that The Vaccines are giving us of their idea of pop music, we arrive at ‘Want you So Bad’ a song Moby would be proud of. Just like Moby’s ‘Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad’, the chorus feels like it has been lifted from some 50’s midtown and is oozes desire and heartache which make the listener go “Awww”. Guitarist Freddie Cowan uses a repetitive, note-picking riff that gives a very ‘Why Do You Only Call Me When I’m High’ by the Arctic Monkeys feel. Luckily, the added distortion later on in the song gives the extra punch it needed giving it a certain Jonny Greenwood sense of chaos for a short period which stops that comparison in it’s tracks.

The Vaccines then take a brief return to their roots in the form of ‘Radio Bikini’. Short, sharp and full of angst, ‘Radio Bikini’ shows The Vaccines still haven’t forgotten where they have come from. It features distortion, fast paced snare rolls and repetitive lyrics which make you want to chant/sing along.

‘Maybe I Could Hold You’ sounds as if it could been pulled of the Arctic Monkeys’ album ‘AM’ mirroring the falsetto backing vocal as well as the simplest drum machine backing beat and simple few note riff that feature a lot on ‘AM’. This song certainly exemplifies why many comparisons have been made between The Vaccines and the Sheffield act.

For the grand finale, the band whips out some acoustic guitar and some luxurious synth for ‘Give Me a Sign’ to team up with a repetitive chorus which you can imagine thousands chanting back at them at one of their numerous festival slots this summer.