[dazedcola]

So I had some free time this week and decided to review one of my favorite new records the Vaselines Sex with an X. Having been a fan for years I was so happy when I realized it wasn't going to be a fast cash-in album. Saw them live recently and they were fantastic and funny live too.


Vaselines- Sex with an X (4.5 out of 5)

 

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland in the eighties the Vaselines should have worn out their welcome years ago. The band existed for roughly three years releasing a handful of EPs and a single album that was celebrated by the band breaking up. Barely known out of their homeland they were a footnote on the music pages of that decade. Despite some high profile recognition from a certain alternative rock icon years later they should have become lost in the shuffle in the vapid, fast paced music world. Instead the band has seen their slim back catalog re-issued three separate times as recently as 2009. If this was any other band it wouldn't make sense, but in their hands it emphasizes the special charm their music brings when they come together and why we keep coming back for more.


Now since reuniting in 2006 for sporadic shows they are tempting the fate of their legacy by releasing their second album Sex With an X. Initial skepticism is expected from many long term fans filled with questions. Can a band who have been inactive for over 15 years be able to reproduce the same chemistry they had in their youth? Are they merely flogging a dead horse for one last round? Will they forcefully or awkwardly try to imitate the past or perhaps abandon it all for Vaselines Mark II ? These inquiries are quickly put to rest upon listening as the band sound just as fun, direct and clever with catchy melodies as they ever were.


Right from the opening track "Ruined" the band's sense of humor ,one of their best qualities, shows no signs of dulling in their willingness and delight to take the piss out of certain topics. On the song they take aim at talentless, overexposed celebrities over a careening noisy guitar with the mock refrain "you'll die, we'll all sigh, you'll go sky high through the roof". Giving a gut punch to misplaced nostalgia "I Hate the 80s" points out that those years weren't as great as remembered over a carefree melody. Sharing vocals they lament a decade where we "put a bullet in a Beatle and had a war that wasn't there". Switching to the world of religious sensitivity they make light of the feuding groups imagining the gods in a wrestling match in the country-ish "My God's Bigger Than Your God". Hilarious imagery of smacked faces, headlocks, and left hooks between higher beings is just begging for a video. Calling people out on their bullshit never sounded so joyous as with them.


Underlying the album are numerous references to bad relationships (theirs as a couple?) and their inherent problems that somehow leave you happier after hearing. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the title track. Mckee's warm cooing vocals and Kelly's restrained regret intertwine beautifully as they sing their ode to giving into bad decisions. Immediately sticking like honey in your head with handclaps it's easy to forget what the song is really about. Building up anticipation with crunchy chords and a fantastic guitar hook "Overweight But Over You" is similar. Discussing the post-break up habit of indulging in food for solace turns into a rallying cry for the broken hearted in their eyes . What other band could make you want to sing out "Hey fat man, but I'm a real fat man!


Pushing into new territory the band’s shows a bit of maturity and growth emphasizing atmosphere in the music while keeping their sensibilities intact. Ominously evil sounding "The Devil Inside Me" slinks along with one cautious step in front of the other daring anyone to get in his way. Another standout "Whitechapel" is drenched in enigmatic paranoia as Frances talks about her being followed by someone. Playing a game of cat and mouse they trade off vocals with Eugene responding in knowing whispers in a slightly on edge tone.


So are the Vaselines back for good? Don't hold your breath. Addressing the issue on the melancholic "Exit the Vaselines" they seem all too aware of the rarity of their situation. Telling fans "don't even try, its only goodbye" they signify the fleetingness of their reunion. The band are simply to smart to hang onto the past forever. What kind of careerist mind would you expect from a band who broke up a week after their sole album? Any other way would just be contrived and dishonest. For now let's just appreciate the fact that they've made a new album that they and fans can countlessly spin for another two decades.


What did you all think of the record ?

[loubarret]

it's worth the wait but nothing that great, it's just pure fun.