Abe Vigoda - Reviver (Album Review)

 

Abe Vigoda - Reviver

(2009)


My copy: 2009 limited press by Post Present Medium.


Abe Vigoda were a post-punk band with work spanning several other genres. They accrued a following in California during the mid to late 2000s for their initial take on “tropical punk.” Reviver came as a short EP following the release of their third full-length, dialing up the moody atmospheres with dense guitar work.

Pulsing bass creates a backbone for the ambient guitars on “Don’t Lie” which also features a catchy vocal melody. The sounds are grimey enough to be compared to early noise rockers such as Flipper but refined enough to slide into the cooler side of shoegaze music. While the first track relents to an impressive soundscape, “House” plays more into the jagged post-punk archetype with more forward guitar lines. The vocals are more sparse here, allowing the syncopated instrumentals to lock in and out of place. The biggest issue surfaces in the semi-weak production of the drums, and lack of stable commitment in the guitar lines. The vocals are also not bold enough, and often lack convincing melody. 

“House” bleeds into “Endless Sleeper” via tremolo and noise, eventually channeling textural work in the vein of Drop Nineteens. The band then offer a version of “Wild Heart” originally by Stevie Nicks: it’s boldly the strongest track on the EP. Gentle, flickering guitar sets the tone as the core melodies slowly expose themselves. The lower delivery of the vocals are perfect, maintaining a tense aura of desire. Textural tremolo bits surround the melodic elements as everything unravels with great care, breaking off into a slower movement with ethereal vocal harmonies. “Reaper” blasts off with the most movement via a bumpy bass. The guitars here hit a solid stride as they dance between textural background noise and melodic riffing. 

While Reviver has some low points in production and lacks in consistent vocal melody, the Stevie Nicks cover is compelling enough to warrant grabbing the record for cheap.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Makes an Album Great

Image
            Great albums should leave lasting impressions, not only on those who listen as non-musicians, but also on the realm of music these albums occupy. In other words, a musical project should seek to leave some distinct mark on it's genre, to lay claim to some form of unique personality; this can often come in many forms, ranging from broad sound choices to subtle production techniques. This method for evaluating music seeks to make complacency the enemy, and forward movement the desired goal. This is not to say that all derivative albums are necessarily bad, as of course, outliers will always exist. Rather, the goal of an artist should, intrinsically, be to leave some reflection of their own condition, regardless of how relatable those emotions may or may not be. In music, this can be achieved in multiple ways, however I will focus on three aspects that I find particularly important when listening to music.      When co...
Read more

Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (Album Review)

Image
  Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (2023) My copy: 2023 limited press on orange transparent vinyl by Warp Records. Having built a strong reputation across a multitude of electronic projects, Daniel Lopatin now cashes in on his modern influence to compile what is likely his most ambitious project yet. Spanning over an hour, Again picks up where 2017’s Garden Of Delete left off, for better and for worse. Even with lush string arrangements and big-name features, Lopatin is unable to prevent Again from falling victim to some serious bloat. Anxiety immediately unravels in the orchestral “Elseware” though this introductory track quickly straightens out into a beguiling arrangement that is unlike any “typical” Oneohtrix track. The ritual “Again” then dives headfirst into Lopatin’s usual world of chittering robots and droning vocal mimicry. Things begin more explorative - descending into the depths of some synthesized hell before fading and restarting. Acoustic flourishes fester alongside...
Read more

Part Chimp - I Am Come (Album Review)

Image
  Part Chimp - I Am Come (2005) My copy: 2005 press by Rock Action Records As the millennium turned, rock music trends began to shift. In the U.S. a band called Lightning Bolt were establishing themselves as forerunners of modern noise-rock by pushing the music in increasingly weird directions. Across the pond, Mclusky were fighting the good fight with the 2002 Albini-produced Do Dallas, that wove dry, intelligent humor in between bursts of electrifying instrumental poundings. But over in London, another set of noise-crazed rockers got their start around the same time.  Part Chimp’s humor is a touch more on the nose; see album title Chart Pimp, or song title “Hitler and Jews” from the same 2002 debut. But directness is just where a band calling themselves “Part Chimp” excels. As rock began softening and going the way of the Strokes real quick, Chart Pimp offered a bastion of sludge-y rock ferocity that mostly suffered from being less able to fully capture the sheer volume ...
Read more