The Vaccines - The Vaccines Come of Age


As predicted, the UK's incessant need for a hot new band led to the Vaccines being 2011's most wildly exaggerated phenomenon. Admittedly the singles were fine in a a catchy, brief little fling kind-of way, but in that debut album, What did You Expect from the Vaccines?, there was about as much depth or ingenuity as you might find in a box of stale Cornflakes. There's also a slight concern in that, prior to reading up on them, I'd completely forgotten the names of the band, including the frontman. I reviewed their album last year, so this doesn't really vouch for their individuality. Ever the gauge of quality, then, the UK teens lapped them up and the band dominated just about every music television channel and programme going. Thanks for that.

The idea of rock reclaiming TV of course doesn't entirely suck: but the willingness of all of this country's media to just settle for the most condensed form of the genre as long as it's successful is a little more than irritating. Fads have come and gone in the past five years, and the number of quality, successful albums from UK indie can be counted on one hand. The Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons and The xx - all very swell and dandy. The Vaccines Come of Age...?


In accordance with said predictability, the album then meanders clumsily between grunge homages ('Weirdo') and all-out pop-rock ('Change of Heart Pt. 2'), with about 8 different riffs assaulting your ears with gusto. That much can be praised of the band: they have a nice energy about them, and for the most part do a convincing impression of an exciting act. It's just that these eleven tracks, coincidentally arranged so that the first three tracks are the singles (a dead giveaway, I always feel, of a careless album), are difficult to recall with any uniquity or eccentricity.


It's just that, there may well be a reason that mainstream music has moved on to hip hop and electropop: because of obsequiously routine albums like this. None of the tracks here are as memorable or fun as If You Wanna or Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra), and the end result is an instant requirement for something meatier.

Rating: 4/10
Highlights: I Always Knew, Ghost Town, Bad Mood
Avoid: Teenage Icon, Weirdo, All in Vain, Aftershave Ocean, Change of Heart Pt. 2

Artwork Watch: Bit rude of them to interrupt a Sinead O'Connor lookalike competition.
Title Watch: Stop referring to yourselves in your album titles. You aren't the fucking Beatles. You aren't even the Arctic Monkeys. You are significantly shitter than both.
Up next: The Script

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