The Vandelles - EP

The Vandelles have been all over the blogosphere and with very good reason. An EP has to be pretty dang good for me to talk about it here and The Vandelles "EP" is just that. They have a completely unique shoegaze meets surf rock sound with 100% more pulp thrown into the cocktail. The ringing distortion should be cranked up to 11, while the dreary harmonies will make you want to don some cool cool shades for the rest of the day. It's a type of music that just makes the average geek want to be James Dean. I can't even fully explain why that is, but just listen to some of the songs on their myspace. Dead Wave, (which actually isn't on their myspace, now that I think of it) for example, opens with a chord progression similar to Open Up Your Door by 60's garage rockers Richard and the Young Lions. That means that it has definite Nuggets-era feel to it, while the vocals are more steeped in Jim Reid territory. The mini-album opens with Fever Of The Beat, which not only has a cool title, but an even cooler bass line. Swell To Heaven is their signature song, and it hits you with a definite Ramones riff that has been best described as Link Wray meets My Bloody Valentine. The EP is short, (as EP's generally are) but that won't stop you from listening to it a solid 5 times in a row. It really is that good.

Download: Swell To Heaven mp3 / Lovely Weather mp3
Myspace: The Vandelles
Purchase: EP at Safranin Sound
Video: Lovely Weather live at Club Midway in NYC on youtube.