Band : Abe Vigoda
Album title : Crush
Label : Bella Union
Distributor : V2
Release date : 20/09/2010
Release : CD

Abe Vigoda is a New York born (1921) actor whom took onto the theater aged 17, and continued to do so for the next 20 years. He then moved onto movies, but wasn't really noticed until his role in The Godfather (and the sequel). He was then regularly asked to play mafia persona. Other significant roles he played were in the movies Newman's Law, Cannonball Run II, Look Who's Talking, North, and Crime Spree. On television he was popular in the role of Phil Fish in the series Barney Miller (1974-1977) and even got his own spin-off Fish in 1977. In 1985 he played in the soap As the World Turns for a while, and during 1985 he had a role in the popular series Santa Barbera. He also was a welcome guest in other series, such as Mannix, Hawai-Five-O, Kojak, The Love Boat, MacGyver, and Law & Order. Oh...wait a minute...this guy died on September 23 of last...at the age of 89?! Reality check...this is definitely not the Abe Vigoda we should be talking about! Okay, rewind!

According to their Wikipedia page, Los Angeles based quartet Abe Vigoda were originally from Chino (also California, but even less than 50 kms removed from their current home base), where they formed in 2003 with a slightly different line-up, after Juan Velasquez and Michael Vidal (both singer/ guitarists in the band, the latter lead vocalist) caught a Mika Miko concert at the local all-ages venue The Smell, while they were still in high school. In fact, at present the band still play quite regularly at that same venue which is volunteer run, and which has also sprung other band such as the aforementioned Mika Miko, Silver Daggers, The Mae Shi, Barr, and No Age. In their beginning days the band had a more straight-forward NeoPunk, semi Noisy style In between a couple of solo and  split 7-inch EPs the band released their debut full-length Sky Route/ Star Roof in 2006 on the Not Not Fun Records imprint, and followed that up with 2007's Kid City, issued through olFactory. That album already displaying more melodicwork. In July 2008 came Skeleton...the first album to show the band's more experimental sound which saw them combining tropical and Caribbean (calypso) rhythms into increasingly more melodic dreamy-wavy guitar patterns which people came to dub “Tropical Punk Rock”...though the Post Present Medium imprint (a label started by No Age's Dean Spunt), which also released their Reviver EP in February 2009. In between the band established a strong local following by regularly playing at The Smell and a broader fanbase by opening for touring bands such as XBXRX, Chromatics, and Old Time Relijun.

When listening to the first three songs on the new album, one might start to think the guys have gone for a keyboard/synth-driven sound next, one in which the guitars hardly have any place left...and with drums that sound like they're machine-generated. Well, it would seen the guys have experimented yet a bit more, and try to set the listener's mind on the wrong foot willingly, because the rest of the 10 songs are back to what we got used to from their Reviver EP. In other words, a slick type of The Cure-like material (albeit with less chorus on the pedal effects, and with less frivolities in the guitar work), with a singer whom apparently would like to sing with the same amount of melancholy as Robert Smith, but hardly succeeds in his effort. And it's the differences which make the band's own identity overall! Still, what with all the stylistic changes, it makes one wonder what a live performance of this band might be like, doesn't it? Well, the concert-going music fans among us can go and check that out during the band's European tour with No Age, which comes in effect this coming October 9. Following some dates in the UK, Holland (Amsterdam), and France (Paris), the guys have 3 shows in Belgium (one at Antwerpen's Trix on October 18, and 2 at Kortrijk's De Kreun in the 2 successive days)! Those who cannot attend or like to spend their time off differently will have to restrict their “first contact” with the band by listening to the two songs posted at myspace.com/abevigoda. Samples of additional songs can certainly be found at the usual online music sales sites. Still not enough, go check whether your local record store holds the album...or just buy it, if you're into this type of music!

85/100

Tony.