"Post-Women" is a term that will likely follow Viet Cong around for at least a few years, mostly because the idea of a new band featuring bassist/vocalist Matthew Flegel and drummer Michael Wallace is just so promising. But Viet Cong are not Women 2.0.
Still, any fans that cherished Women will find plenty to love in Viet Cong. Cassette was originally released last year as just that: a seven-track tape of demos they made to bring on tour. Mexican Summer wisely picked it up to release properly and it's easy to hear why. Viet Cong themselves might hear Cassette as just demos, but by today's standards, it's far too good to banish into obscurity. Like Women, this band is full of obvious reference points, to the point where you can lose yourself in guessing the influence.
The disparity between the songs shows they were still searching for their sound at the time. "Throw It Away" revs up with intertwined guitar jangle and spiky melodies, like Television on amphetamines, while "Static Wall" sounds like it was forgotten from the Children of Nuggets comp.
It's "Structureless Design," a pure goth-rock offering set to a motorik beat, and their raucous live cover of Bauhaus' "Dark Entries" that give a better sense of where Viet Cong's debut LP is heading, though. And there's plenty of reason to be excited.
(Mexican Summer)Still, any fans that cherished Women will find plenty to love in Viet Cong. Cassette was originally released last year as just that: a seven-track tape of demos they made to bring on tour. Mexican Summer wisely picked it up to release properly and it's easy to hear why. Viet Cong themselves might hear Cassette as just demos, but by today's standards, it's far too good to banish into obscurity. Like Women, this band is full of obvious reference points, to the point where you can lose yourself in guessing the influence.
The disparity between the songs shows they were still searching for their sound at the time. "Throw It Away" revs up with intertwined guitar jangle and spiky melodies, like Television on amphetamines, while "Static Wall" sounds like it was forgotten from the Children of Nuggets comp.
It's "Structureless Design," a pure goth-rock offering set to a motorik beat, and their raucous live cover of Bauhaus' "Dark Entries" that give a better sense of where Viet Cong's debut LP is heading, though. And there's plenty of reason to be excited.
