Vukovar
– Voyeurism (Small Bear Records)
CD
/ DL
Out
Now
9
/ 10
Alternative
Indie/post-punk band release their second album.
With
one of the finest singles and albums of 2015 already behind them, following up last year’s Emperor album should have been a
daunting task. Not so for the members of
The Bordellos, Neurotic Wreck and assembled Small Bear staff, Voyeurism is a
superb album.
In
just eight tracks clocking in at a total of less than thirty-five minutes, it
is the proverbial story of quality over quantity as they steam through an extraordinarily
exciting album. And, any album that
contains a track called Masterpiece has a lot to live up to, fortunately is
succeeds.
Masterpiece
is indeed a brilliant track so much so that if we follow the definition of
being ‘a work of a very high standard’, we won’t be wrong. Beginning with what is an unashamedly
plagiarised version of the bassline from Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn Theme the
alternative soundtrack to the unmade film The Duke Paolo And Little K is a fine
track without doubt. With vocals in the
vein of Kasabian, the inevitable shouts and chaos eventually ensue as the track
speeds up to reverbed end.
The
differing styles of Vukovar take on a jazz tinged feel on Quiet where
ironically, vocals are often quite the opposite with percussion too that has
sheer power and aggression behind it.
The strength of Vukovar seems to be in their diversity, something for
everyone perhaps – does Irreversible carry the bassline to the theme from Dr
Who? Certainly stalled effects and
distortion may be compared to the TARDIS, and references to angels may too add
further speculation.
The
near spoken drawl of Into Your Arms provides a teasing lead into The Fog which
also clocks in at less than two minutes as its predecessor. The sublime airiness of which allows the
listener to draw breath and contemplate as the albums lead The Blood Garden
enters the fray.
The
Blood Garden is a marvellous track – atmospheric in beginning with a rockier
edge to the end, it starts as a calling to love in a gorgeous melodious
fashion. Halfway through it almost stops
and introduces full-on guitars and drums.
It’s a fine single and one which really should have propelled the band
closer to the mainstream.
As
the defined voyeur spies on the intimate behaviours of the subject of interest,
Vukovar too enter varying worlds of noise and feel. The album closure Little K’s Final Reflection
takes walls of guitar against pumping bass and beats from beginning to
end. Whether it be the finale to the unmade
film or simply the end to a great album remains to be seen. What should be heard however is Voyeurism, as
to allow it to slip under the radar would be a travesty of epic proportion.
Vukovar
will be playing at the Ralphs Life event for Musicians Against Homelessness And
Crisis UK at the Zoo Bar in St Helens on Saturday 17 September (see here for
tickets)
Links
Small Bear Records
Vukovar on Tumblr
Vukovar on Twitter
Vukovar on Facebook
Vukovar on hiapop Blog
Published on Louder Than War 14/06/16 - here
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