Vertigo, “Bad Syd”/”Falling to Pieces” (Amphetamine Reptile, 1989)Great band at their early best, tonal fray-screech in the AmRep style but with a Velvetsish drone-guitar-pop aspect and a dead-end Midwest punk classicism (think Pagans) that make them distinctive among the works of their label-mates. A-side churns ominously, B-side just launches full-throttle off the runway and through […]
Vice Squad, “The Complete Punk Singles Collection” (Anagram, 1997; original release c. 1981-1983)This band was the cream of the early ‘80s UK streetpunk/hardcore crop, songs that were simultaneously gritty and anthemic, put across by Beki Bondage’s soaring wail, kind of like a punk Sinead O’Connor.Try 1, 4, 105/5/12
Sid Vicious, “Sid Sings” (Virgin, 1979)On the cusp of his assassination-by-syringe at the hands of Nancy’s drug-dealing admirers, the man leads a veritable Hall-of-Fame team of NYC punk junkies through a Stooges/Dolls-oriented selection of punkrock chestnuts (J. Thunders is audible from time to time). A perennial candidate for Worst Record Ever, according to closet moralists, […]
Vilently Ill, “Group Hug” (Knot, 2001)These guys stood out in the crowd of the turn-of-the-millennium “power violence” HC wave. Their speed-blur had definition and solid punch, and they wrote good tunes, reminiscent at times of old-school Boston HCers Negative FX.Try A/17/29/14
Vivian Girls, “My Love Will Follow Me” (Wild World, 2010)After the shattering stun-guitar assault of their (great) second album, Vivian Girls return with one of their sweetest, quietest songs yet, on the A-side; it’s actually pretty intense in its way, like a shaft of sunlight in a shady place. The B-side is good, but it […]
Vivian Girls, “Share The Joy” (Polyvinyl, 2011)The last three years have brought more good-to-great underground rock and roll than any period since the early ‘90s, or even the late ‘80s, and along with the Fresh and Onlys, Vivian Girls occupy the very apex of this wave. Like the Fresh and Onlys, too, this is the […]
The Vivians, “I Fear” (Ice Age/Hit & Run, 1991)In the wake of this lost Cleveland noise-rock/post-punk classic, guitarist Michelle Temple joined Pere Ubu, and you can see why Thomas, Ravenstine et al were impressed. This is one of the few bands that seemed to understand profoundly the way early Ubu turned Stooges-derived pummeling riff-repetition into […]
Vivians, “Vivicide” (Hit And Run, 1989)Great lost Cleveland band in the heavy post-punk style prevalent on the eve of the Alternative Era, but these women blast with a dark desperation worthy of their hometown pioneers (Pere Ubu, Elecric Eels, Pagans, etc.). rumbling night-drives that hit hardcore velocity at times, but heighten the drama with bruised […]
Various artists, “Buy Beer” (12XV, 2012)Fine comp, some artists local (Austin) and/or on the label, some not; sound programming and selection make a case for its contents as a coherent whole of noisy, rousing contemporary punk rock. Highlights include A/2 (spacey garage-punk), A/4 (gorgeously twisted noise-pop), A/5 (heavy, disjointed psych), B/2 (moody/jangly postpunk), B/5 (buzzy/melodic […]
Various artists, “Cambodia Rock Intensified!” (Lion Productions, 2011; original release late 1960s/early 1970s)More painstakingly restored classics from Cambodia’s incredible pre-Khmer-Rouge rock scene. If you haven’t heard this stuff, picture a harder-rocking, trippier take on French ‘60s pop with all sorts of dizzyingly baroque inflections of Cambodia’s local melodic and rhythmic heritage; this is ome of […]