The Vapors
Wasp in a Jar (Vapors Own Records)
It has to be for a band that formed way back in 1978, with four albums recorded over two spells, that they are still best known for the "Turning Japanese" single. Sure, it's nice to be remembered at all. But this is a proper band with a sackful of quality tunes. They're not deserving of a "one got wonder" tag.
New album Wasp in a Jar is the latest, and the second since they reformed in 2016. It was crowdsourced--a list of names that contributed graces the inner sleeve--serving as proof that there's still an eager market for there quirky, streetwise new wave rock 'n' roll.
“We look at the band with the philosophy of Viv Savage from Spinal Tap: ‘Have a good time all the time’,” said bassist Steve Smith in a statement. “Getting together and playing music is still really fun for us -bouncing ideas off each other and trying different things.”
It's a great slab of tune-age from the opening "Hit the Crowd Running" to the timely "Carry On" (“When the government needs to know; That’s when the government needs to go”).
“That's like asking a parent who's their favorite child,” said guitarist Danny Fenton when asked his favorite songs on the album. “They all have significance to us in their own different ways. ‘The Human Race’ is about the band, ‘Look Away Now’ is about Dave dealing with his Parkinson's Disease and ‘Miss You Girl’ is about children wanting to move out of thefamily home. That's not to say that they are the three I'm most proud of… we are proud of them all.”
They should be.
Vegas DeMilo
Black Sheep Lodge (Starving Cowboy Records)
Continuing our journey into the LPs that were left in the editor's office when this writer took the hot seat, Vegas DeMilo are a San Francisco psychedelic rock band that earned some hefty praise between 1996 and 2002.
After a two-decade gap, they reformed in 2022, and Black Sheep Lodge is their fourth album.
There's a lot to enjoy, from the chunky opener "Charlie Watts" all the way to statement of intent "Get in the Van." The lads have clearly done some growing; they don't feel very psychedelic anymore and much of the record is pretty straightforward rock 'n' roll. But that's no bad thing.
They attempt to get poignant on "California Let Me Down," a sentiment we can't relate to. But they're at their best when they're slamming into quality alt-rock anthems.
