We Versus the Shark
featured review, June 08 August 4th, 2008
Dirty Versions
Hello Sir Records
By Fred Sowder, June 2008
This Athens-based quartet claims that this disc will not be officially released until July 1, but you can get it through their label’s Web site or at one of their shows right now.
In three short years, this band has become a vital part of the East Coast noise-pop scene along with such bands as fellow Athenians Maserati (who are coming to town soon – don’t miss ‘em!) and Richmond’s VCR.
Genre-defying as WVTS may be, this can be mostly attributed to their strong musicianship. They’ve been known to switch instruments multiple times during their epic sets as they trade vocal duties with ease. The disc kicks off with the agitprop of “Hello Blood,” which deftly alternates between feedback-laden respites and grindcore merriment. A similar pattern follows throughout Dirty Versions, with the tracks featuring vocals by guitarist Samantha Paulsen (check “I Am the Contempt Machine” and “Mountaineering”) getting some extra femininity with her Kim Gordon-esque throatiness.
The tempos often change throughout the disc (“math rock” has been inaccurately used to describe their sound on more than one music Web site), but their modus operandi remains the same: keep things upbeat with just the right balance of feedback and bombast while segueing rapidly between musical passages to satiate those with short attention spans. Their nature can be oftentimes quirky as well, which makes them come across at times as a heavier version of the late Hogtown quirksters PopCanon.
The album concludes with the expansive “Practical Animals,” which is at times equal parts Sonic Youth, Melvins and Helmet, with flailing drums, propulsive guitars and angst-ridden vocals. They’ve been tagged with the term “nerdy” by some in the music press, which may be true. It’s just the good kind: the ones that rock while calculating time signatures with their slide rules.
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We Versus the Shark
featured review, June 08 August 4th, 2008Dirty Versions
Hello Sir Records
By Fred Sowder, June 2008
This Athens-based quartet claims that this disc will not be officially released until July 1, but you can get it through their label’s Web site or at one of their shows right now.
In three short years, this band has become a vital part of the East Coast noise-pop scene along with such bands as fellow Athenians Maserati (who are coming to town soon – don’t miss ‘em!) and Richmond’s VCR.
Genre-defying as WVTS may be, this can be mostly attributed to their strong musicianship. They’ve been known to switch instruments multiple times during their epic sets as they trade vocal duties with ease. The disc kicks off with the agitprop of “Hello Blood,” which deftly alternates between feedback-laden respites and grindcore merriment. A similar pattern follows throughout Dirty Versions, with the tracks featuring vocals by guitarist Samantha Paulsen (check “I Am the Contempt Machine” and “Mountaineering”) getting some extra femininity with her Kim Gordon-esque throatiness.
The tempos often change throughout the disc (“math rock” has been inaccurately used to describe their sound on more than one music Web site), but their modus operandi remains the same: keep things upbeat with just the right balance of feedback and bombast while segueing rapidly between musical passages to satiate those with short attention spans. Their nature can be oftentimes quirky as well, which makes them come across at times as a heavier version of the late Hogtown quirksters PopCanon.
The album concludes with the expansive “Practical Animals,” which is at times equal parts Sonic Youth, Melvins and Helmet, with flailing drums, propulsive guitars and angst-ridden vocals. They’ve been tagged with the term “nerdy” by some in the music press, which may be true. It’s just the good kind: the ones that rock while calculating time signatures with their slide rules.
