The Vasco Era - news

ALBUM REVIEW, BEAT MAGAZINE

July 18, 2007

 

Publication: Beat Magazine

Author: Jaymz Clements

Date 11 July 2007

 

At certain moments in life it's inevitable that one will be overtaken by feelings of such extreme elation that the only way to navigate these perilous highs is to act out by hitting something, anything, and perhaps throwing ones self about in an approximation of a fit. This can also be brought about and achieved by listening to The Vasco Era, three dapper gents from Apollo Bay who also happen to possess one of the single most fiery collections of tunes in Australia.

For a debut album, Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside is a remarkably accomplished beast – and a beast it certainly is. From the unwieldy album title to the almost absurd song names (When Am I Going To Get Those Pants I Really Want… the song titles are awesome though. I’m just being facetious) to the gargantuan groove and punch it contains across its ten tracks, this is a record that will maul the senses into feeling EXACTLY as hurt as singer Sid O’Neil, as well as lifting you up into the glorious realm of unadulterated rawk.

For a band who were primarily a loud rootsy-folk band, Oh We Do… is one hell of a rock record, bursting out of the blocks as it does with When It First Showed Up and When We All Lost It. It’s neo-blooz-grunge flavoured raucousness – a rolling thunder of bass and monstrous drumming courtesy of Ted O’Neil and Michael Fitzgerald – and Sid’s ragged voice (so much more than on, say, previous singles Let It Burn or Kingswood) always pushed to the edge underpinning the insane slide chops (and normal geetar for that matter) he also possesses. This is perfectly nailed on When You Want, When We Forgot to Ask Ourselves Why It Came and When We Lost Faith In Everyone Especially Middle Aged People.

What stands out most though – apart from the raw punky energy and how fucking awesomely loud this puppy is – happens to be the way Sid makes you feel a part of a story. It’s not a concept album, but it does play out like a tale of heart break, woe, isolation and eventual redemption (perhaps). This is none more evident than on the record’s slower moments the punctuate the blues-rawk Zeppelin-isms of cuts such as When We Were Getting’ to Forgiving You – seriously one of the best moments in music this year. The gravitas attached to When We Tried To Get You To Settle Down and When We Tried To Party to Forget About It and When The Good Times Were Coming. They’re gentle, lilting moments that showcase a melancholia and wistfulness that is so heartbreakingly lovely, you won’t escape it easily.

Regardless, when an album has a blues-epic as good as Honey Bee (When It Was Making Weird Love Songs and yes, all the songs start with When – thus the case for ‘concept’ branding) and finishes so magnificently with Good Times, it’s easy to not worry about the justification for emotions. Indeed, fuck emotions. They’re for pussies and guys who think toting a goatee makes women go all gooey between the knees. No, emotions can fuck off, all we need is The Vasco Era and letting the music do all the yelling. Roots-metal: the new fucking black. The Vasco Era: your new favourite band.

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