The Vaccines: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

The Vaccines
What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Rating: Meh

It really bothers me when magazines or newspapers hype a band so much that there is no conceivable way they could ever live up to the expectations. NME is probably the worst offender in this regard. While it may whip up a frenzy surrounding a new band, more often than not, the band fades away into obscurity. Does anyone really remember The Vines, Gay Dad, or Kasabian? Few, for sure. It really bothers me when a band is really young and this over-hype potentially destroys their careers. Recently NME, anointed The Vaccines as "The Return of the Great British Guitar Band," which would crush the shoulders of anyone carrying that kind of weight. Is their debut album worthy of all the hype? Honestly, not really. Is it worth monstrous scorn? Not at all. The Vaccines are not the great white hope, nor are they terrible. They are just an above-average guitar band that makes catchy music. When they are full throttle, they even sound inspired, but for the most part this group of songs is a placeholder, showing a band with some talent, but not really putting down a distinctive stamp to make them stand out from bands doing it better.

The Vaccines work best when they don't try so hard. My favorite track is "All In White," which travels outside the band's template of steady beat and chiming guitars. It actually builds tension with a varied beat and soaring electronics.



Or the feedback drenched ""Blow It Up."



However, the majority of tracks are just pleasant, run-of-the-mill guitar pop. There is really nothing here to complain about as the songs are all nice and strike a mood, but they just don't go anywhere. The tracks don't stay long in the memory, unfortunately.

First track "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" is only memorable because it steals directly from The Ramones.



"Post Break-Up Sex" is memorable more for its title than the song itself.



What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? is the perfect title for the album (and shows the band does have a sense of humor about all the hype) because the album is all about expectations. Based on the NME hype machine I was waiting to be blown away by something new and fresh. The finished product though is well below my expectations. The album basically fades into the background because it has already been done before, and done better. There is a good base here, and hopefully, like Radiohead, this is just a stepping off point to something better. Time will tell if they are still around in 10 years or relegated to the basement of formerly hyped NME bands.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.