Vesta Varro - Exit Here

The current wave of 'stadium' bands that are not quite large enough to play stadiums yet, all seem to follow a similar pattern. That is, that they generally come charging out of the gate fast enough only to be shot in the leg at the beginning of the next race. In other words, the debut album is usually powerful and promising, while album #2 showcases a band that seems content in simply mailing it in, so to speak. Thankfully there are exceptions to the rule (for me, Muse comes to mind.) Of course it's too early to tell which category Vesta Varro will fall into, but for their debut Exit Here, they definitely have the potential to be nothing short of legendary.

Vesta Varro has been garnering some notable praise in their hometown of Limerick, Ireland since their album was released around this time last year, but they've been collecting their fair share of Canadian love as well. In fact, they were the winners of 2007's Indie Week Canada, which allows them to headline the festivities this year, running from October 7th to 11th. They've also made quite the splash at this year's CMW and NXNE festivals too. However, while this is all well and good, if I didn't like the album, I wouldn't be talking about them right now. And the album is very very good.

Exit Here has an incredibly large sound, that grabs you immediately right at the start. And the album never lets up, not for a moment. Every song is a sharp blast of new wave intensity, complete with ringing guitars and pounding drums that help to emphasize the bands ultimate strength, which is the formation of powerful songs and anthemic choruses. Pyramid Clocks is one such example. The song wastes no time getting to the point, with lead vocalist Damien Drea starting the song at the same time as the rest of the band, engaging the listener in clever build up before the predictable but ultimately timeless power chords kick in for the chorus. The guitar solo is understated but still a nice lead in to the outro chorus. I love Shane Lee's drums in the song I Agree as they create a powerful backbeat of emotion that gives the song a slight air of mystery. Yellow Rooms comes charging at you with such grand ferocity that it is almost over way too quickly. As a matter of fact, this can be said of most of the songs on this release. The album is the type that demands that you start it over again as soon as it is done, as all great albums should. Hopefully the band will keep up the good work on album two. For now though, the challenge would be to see if they can replicate that high energy and massive sound to the live stage. From the reviews that I've read, they seem to do so rather successfully and as I've mentioned earlier, Indie Music Week will present several opportunities to see if the band can do so. Here are the dates:

Oct 7th @ Rok Boutique (invite only)
Oct 8th @ Tattoo Rock Parlour
Oct 9th @ The Rivoli
Oct 10th @ The Hideout
Oct 11th @ The Edge 102.1

Myspace: Vesta Varro
Video: Believe on youtube
Video Montage: Reaching Out on youtube

Other news:
There are some great (and not-so-great) reviews of the My Bloody Valentine show at the Kool Haus last week. You know, the one that I wasn't able to go to? Apprently, it was wicked loud!

Reviews at: Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, Chromewaves, Chart, Eye and Exclaim!
Myspace: My Bloody Valentine

Forbes magazine has published this years list of the richest rockers of 2008. It's as boring and predictable as always, but this year it warms my heart to see The Police at the top of the list 'cuz, I kinda like those guys.

See the rest of the list here.
Myspace: The Police

This is probably too late since most of you will likely read this tomorrow morning, but The Watson Twins are on Conan O'Brian tonight.

Myspace: The Watson Twins

And for those of you that will read this tomorrow, here are my personal top 5 most notable new CD releases for Tuesday September 30th:

1. Miles Davis - 50th Anniversary Kind Of Blue (reissued w/bonus tracks)
2. Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs (The Bootleg Series Volume 8)
3. Gemma Hayes - Hollow Of Morning
4. Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
5. U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky (remastered deluxe edition)