Van She
V
(MODULAR) A+
RELEASE DATE: August 9th, 2008.

One E.P.  Five Singles. Four Video Clips. Remixes galore.  More live shows than I can count. Three on-stage dedications.  Years of support.  Hundreds of blog posts. Several interviews.  Probably a little too much money spent on rare promo copies of their work on ebay.  An awkward, confidence-lacking meeting (on my part) which, thankfully, was swiftly followed with dozens of relaxed ones. My history with the music of Van She and the band as an entity has certainly hopefully been an entertaining one, whether it be for myself, them, my friends, or the people who read my writing.  Whichever group you fall under, you’ll be more than aware of how agonising the wait for the bands debut album has been for me. Almost three years in the making, my torturous wait is officially over.  

It’s finally here.  

“V” has landed, and it’s a sweet, sweet victory for music lovers.

Writing about this record, would you believe, has been harder for me than I imagined.  I listened to it this morning and was so amazed at the level of musical genius it actually boasted that I couldn’t think of the words to describe such an achievement.  Seven full listens down, I think I’ve found the words I need.

The album explodes into play with dreamy opener Memory Man, a haunting and mesmerizing piece of music in which vocalist Nicky Routledge coos in perfect harmonisation with the captivating sounds on offer; this truly is an incredibly produced introduction to the body of work that is “V.”  It’s a dramatic opener which will provide audiences an experience of epic proportions when performed live; this is a VERY big-on-personality song.  A tiny bit Radiohead in places too, don’t you think?  Slowly ripping itself into last years single Cat & The Eye, things continue down the psychedelic and trippy wonderment. The song, which originally surfaced late last year, has aged incredibly well and sits perfectly in its little nook on the record.  It’s also the first time the song has been made available on CD; up until now, this was only a digital release.  Listen to that high quality!

Upcoming single Changes quickly shifts the deliciously bizarre mood of the records first two tracks by placing the group into Pure Pop Mode.  One of the best moments on “V,” Changes comes complete with a goosebump-inducing chorus, a line about apple juice, sexy woooh-ooooh’s AND DOUBLE HAND CLAPS DURING THE MIDDLE 8.  Amazing.  It, along with the bands current single Strangers, are the years 2 very best single releases, with very little else planned ahead looking to dismantle such a claim.  And while we’re talking about Strangers, how can you go past that “spaceships, spaceships, spaceships, space-sh-sh-sh…” moment without grinning from ear to ear?  One of the best breakdowns in a pop song for a very long time.

It Could Be The Same, fronted vocally by the bands bassist, Matt Van Schie, is the first of the new tracks (which haven’t been released or seen the light of day beyond the bands live shows until now) that gives off hints of ‘potential single alert.’  What a monster!  A chorus which combines a demonic depth to Schie’s voice with a sexy, startling and urgent attack on guitar, keys (Mr. Michael Di Francesco is a fucking WIZ on that bloody machine) and drums (this song in particular is a testament to the fact that the bands drummer, the incredible and ace Tomek Archer, actually IS the Greatest Drummer of our time; yeah, fuck you Grohl, you heard me!), it’s one of the hottest moments on here.  Oooof!  Live favourite The Sea (if you were at any of this months Van She Party events, you’ll know exactly what I mean) starts off deceptively mellow; your first impression is that of being faced with a sweet almost-ballad, before it all goes tits-up in the best way possible, grabs you unawares and assaults you in a filthy and wickedly enjoyable fashion with its fierce chorus.  The bands biggest rock moment to date.

Virgin Suicide reverts the guys back to pop mode, and is the closest the band get to recreating the same sound last heard by them on 2005’s Kelly.  This all teleports itself nicely into the ace, should-have-been-a-full-track, 74 second interlude, Temps Mort.  Lush stuff, with a hidden element of disco.  Luckily, such beauty quickly segues into further brilliance, with the next very-strong potential single alert, Talkin’.  Primarily, this comes complete with a heavily vocodered 2-part chorus, which is given some euphoria with a series of naturally displayed aaaaaaah-uuuhh-aaaaaahhhh’s.  Musically, the guitar riff before the chorus is of bonza proportions, and the keys in the last 60 seconds were sent by the gods from synth-heaven.

A newly updated version of their first single, Kelly, is a strong and welcome inclusion on “V.”  Whilst the original is already perfect the way it is, the new re-rub is so very now, yet somehow manages to sound even more retro than the original did.  Incredible.  If you’ve caught the guys live over the last few months, this is the version you would have heard them play too; high on synths, high on love and high on life.

EURO-INSPIRED MUSIC ALERT!  So High needs to be shipped off to France, released immediately as a single over there and adored by the likes of Sebastien Tellier, Juliet Binoche and Julie Delpy.  I’d even go as far as saying that those kids with a penchant for fucking shit up in that Justice video clip people threw a fit over for about 5 seconds earlier this year would see their savage beasts soothed by this stupendously good musical exercise.  IMAGINE.

Finally, Sharp Knife sees the return of bassist Matt take to the microphone again, with a breezy, comforting closer which encapsulates the varied musical elements found through “V” and placing them all into the one track, playing at just over 4 minutes.  From ballad, to rock song, to big synth number; it’s the most fitting way to end the bands Very First Record.

The waves of satisfaction I experienced whilst listening to this record were incredible.  As a music critic (GUFFAW), I’m continually impressed by the direction the band keep taking themselves in, and find the music on their debut album to be thoroughly enjoyable, thought provoking pop.  As a fan (their biggest, a claim I have not bestowed upon myself; hello and thanks there Tomek), I’m overcome with emotion, relieved it is not only as good as I’d hoped - but better, and incredibly, so so very massively proud of the guys.  Over the last 2.5 years, I’ve watched them go from amazing Annie support act, to my favourite band of all time.  I’ve made the long journey with them down the road that has been the release of this record as well, even if I’m not a member of the band. It’s finally here, and it is as remarkable as I could have ever hoped for it to be.

There are so many more reasons as to why this record is just so unbelievable; I’ve only listed a mere few in this review.  At the end of the day, I can go on about how brilliant they are for a further few thousand words, but you really just have to experience what they have to offer for yourself to truly understand.

“V” is released through Modular Records in Australia on August the 9th.  You can pre-order your copy from JB HiFi by clicking here.  The boys will also be uploading the entire album on their MySpace page this Sunday the 3rd of August, where it will available for you to stream an entire week before its official release.

See you guys next week, sometime after Tuesday.  I’m about to board a plane and head for Byron Bay — It’s Splendour In The Grass Festival time folks!