| CD REVIEW Vanna |
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Band: Vanna Two years ago this young New England based quintet released it’s full-length debut on Epitaph, and since I happened to do a review for that (posted 28/05/2007), I’ll direct you there for any info on the band’s antecedents. Still, I need to make a little addition to that biography. You see, the band was formed in December of 2004, and their early 2005 demo was foollowed that same year by a self-released EP entitled This Will Be Our Little Secret, released on a rotation of only 200 or 250 copies. The band signed to Epitaph in November 2005, but before the release of their debut EP The Search Party Never Came on that label (in June 2006), the Robotica imprint released a split 7-inch EP (each band playing two songs) with Therefore I Am…previously the band of Vanna drummer Brandon Davis…in March. Meanwhile, Davis has left the band (on amical terms), playing his last show with the band in mid-February 2008, during a tour with Knives Exchanging Hands and My Hero Is Me. For the rest of that tour, he was temporarily replaced by Ryan Seaman, a good friend of the band. When the band started writing material for the new album which they were to record in July & August (with Steve Evetts of Every Time I Die, He Is A Legend, The Dillinger Escape Plan repute as producer), they recruited former The Jonah Veil drummer Chris Campbell (whom made his live debut with the band on March 22) as permanent drummer. Just like the debut album, A New Hope contains 12 tracks which are a fine continuation of what the band brought on their first record (that being a mix of Metalcore with Screamocore)! Promo copies having been sent out in time, the band has already had some press reactions, and while on the one hand I feel upcoming reviews will be more positive, leading Punk magazine Alternative Press, in the person of reviewer Phil Freeman,was somewhat destructively negative. Here’s a transcript (you can also read find it in the blogs of the band’s MySpace), intersperced with my own comments : “A New Hope is interesting for about 30 seconds…” he must mean the intro speech, “…The first guitar riff heard on Vanna’s sophomore full-length is unsteady, slightly distorted and painstakingly detuned…” (ehrr…ain’t that allowed in an intro, buddy?), “…You can’t quite tell what direction the band are heading; will they be ripping off Sonic Youth or Foo Fighters? The anticipation is almost tantalizing…” (where does this guys get these weird ideas…wha’s up friend, didn’t get any this morning and need to react things off on innocent bystanders?), “…Then “into Hell’s Mouth We March” starts, and funtime’s over …” (hum…honestly, I felt a bit “taken” at first too, with this ripp-off from a standard Pop Punk riff opening, but after a few listening sessions you get accustomed to the idea, and within the song there’s a few nice deviations from that riff anyway), “The remaining 41 minutes of A New Hope are achingly pro forma Screamo/ Post-Hardcore/ Every riff and breakdown is a copy of a copy of a copy; there’s absolutely nothing of note to say about the album itself, only that it exists…” (Wow man, what bit you? And do you really feel anything new can be added to a “genre” that’s been milked out by hundreds of bands before? By the way, did you even bother to give the album the necessary amount of listening sessions to get into what the band does, or did you make up your ideas after just one session? Hum, pity man, because A New Hope is really an album that’ll grow on the listener after repeated contact with the material within. And once you’re into the stuff, you’ll be able to enjoy each song seperadely for what it is, even pick out some personal favourites…mine is the very melodic “The Same Graceful Wind” on the one side, and the more furious tracks on the other…like “Trashmouth” for instance! Huh, halfway through I thought for a moment they were gonna do an interlude from AC/DC‘s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”…another memorable moment is “Sleepwalker” with its several vocal alternations, and that wonderful clean backing vocal bit…aaààhhh, simply heavenly!), “…The only thing left to wonder about this gray lump of by-the-numbers bark ’n’ croon is whether they meant the title “The Sun Sets Here” to refer to their genre, or just their careers…”. Well, it’s clear that Mr. Freeman couldn’t care less about Vanna’s career, eh? Kinda makes one wonder whether he’s a “professional” music journalist (the kind of people who’re into the business because they can’t play music themselves, and then start beating down anything that is not to their personal liking, depending on the mood of the day)? Personally, I’m into it all because I love music, period…and I wanna do anything within my posssibilities to promote music towards the kind of people who would be likely to be fans of the specific musical field the band that’s being reviewed is working in! As far as music journalists go, they should shut the f**k up whenever they can’t say anything positive…and building criticism is also a positive thing, dudes! Right, I’ll shut up myself in a while, but not before telling you that two tracks off the new album. Incidently, that’s the above mentioned “Into Hell’s Mouth We March” and another track titled “Safe To Say” (one of the other tracks that’ll grow on you after repeated listening, although you’ll wonder why that happens!). Fans, look out…because after a couple of “release parties” the band sets out on a tour in the South of the US and the West Coast in late April and the rest of May. Of course, the band will jump onto the Van’s Warped Tour come July 18, making the trip around the US all over again. Look for the guys at the Smartpunk Stage! 90/100 Tony. |