Monday, April 25, 2011

The Wombats: The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation

The Wombats are a band from Liverpool that have been around since about 2007 and just now, their second album should be available in the U.S.; their single "Tokyo" getting a little airplay every now and then. In the beginning however, it was no keyboards, but air-guitar jams like "Moving to New York" and "Let's Dance to Joy Division"; that is, if you've heard of those songs. The music is simple but very well put-together, The Wombats have always been a band that deserves exposure but just never got it.

This review might be a little biased because I absolutely love this band. A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation is just a fun ride from beginning to end, even though it does have a couple bumps on the way. The length of each song is pretty much perfect, not too long and not too short. The progressions and forms remind me of some airplay-friendly tunes, but not in a bad way. Rather, the non-stop "every song could be a single"-feel makes this album a very comfortable ride.

1. Tales of Girls, Boys & Marsupials
Just an introduction, its fun though and seams perfectly into not just the next song, but also the fun playful-punk rock nature of the rest of the album.
2. Kill the Director
A strong opening jam. The first thing you'll notice about The Wombats are their excellent backing vocals and they are featured throughout this song and are strongest at the end.
3. Moving to New York
Listen to the opening riffs of Tokyo and Moving to New York, they sound kind of similar don't they? Well for being (in my opinion) The Wombats' best two singles, I believe they've found the ultimate riff.
4. Lost in the Post
A very driving tune featuring strong backing vocals though for the actual lyrics, they are only okay. The highlights of this song would be the lead guitar, echoing backing vocals, and a strong finale.
5. Party in a Forest (Where's Laura?)
A fun sing-along song with a very strong ending. Its kind of like Lost in the Post, but better.
6. School Uniforms
A very driving tune finishing off with a great "all-together-now" ending. This is your quintessential Wombats song.
7. Here Comes the Anxiety
Not much to say,  the vocals are pretty good here. Its certainly a huge break from the driving rock feel of the rest of the album, but then again, it might be too much of a break.
8. Let's Dance to Joy Division
A very powerful beat with a very driving rhythm, this song is just great. Plus, its a song about dancing to Joy Division, so it has to be good.
9. Backfire at the Disco
It took me a while to really like this song, but it really grew on me. Strong driving feel to it as well as very strong backing vocals makes this one a really good tune. Plus, I can kind of relate to it since I've been slapped at a Disco.
10. Little Miss Pipedream
Pretty much Here Comes the Anxiety. I don't have much to say, except that its backing vocals are much better.
11. Dr. Suzanne Mattox PhD
Opening up with a nice bassline, your typical alt-rock lyrics and finishing up with a strong driving ending. In all, not a bad tune.
12. Patricia the Stripper
Everything in this song is nicely timed. Its kind of their ballad and they do it quite nicely. Lead singer Matthew Murphy puts forth some of his strongest vocal effort in this song. The lyrics are kind of goofy, but otherwise, a good tune.
13. My First Wedding
A fantastic, head-banging finish, this song is a perfect ending to a really fun ride. The screaming, the chanting, the crazy guitar-clashing, everything is perfect here.

Basically, what more can I say except that its good? Its basically professionally produced indie jams, one after the other. And with a beer and karaoke machine, it only gets better. If The Wombats were a little more well known, you could get the crowd going.

Rating 7.8

This one was a little short compared to my other reviews. I guess that Dept Heaven review kind of wore me out a bit. I was thinking of getting this out there in celebration of The Wombat's new album (which so far, my opinion is that its equally good). Next week, we're looking at something a little...different.

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