The Vaccines

The UK's latest "big thing," the Vaccines, are fully aware of the weight that has been placed upon their shoulders. The victims of yet another British press campaign to revive guitar music, the Londoners never stood a chance against the expectations, even with that pre-emptive strike in their album title. And so, on their debut album, all they have to offer are simple, catchy sing-alongs big enough to fill an arena. There is a strong homegrown aesthetic to the Vaccines that should appease anglophiles. If they were the types to carefully calculate their sound, you'd hear Morrissey's sexual troubles in the lyrics, Supergrass's ability to take it from zero to 60 then back down in the song structures and the Jesus & Mary Chain's affinity for squalling noise in the guitars. But the Vaccines play the game with nonchalance, leaving an overwhelming impression that they literally just entered the rehearsal space and birthed these songs without a word discussed. First single "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" is an 80-second adrenaline rush full of giddy abandon and a chant that easily etches itself into your skull, while "All In White," one of only two songs to exceed four minutes, is the type of sweeping anthem that brings people to their feet. To answer their question, if you're looking for a dependable, inviting rock record without the frills, well, the Vaccines have more than met the great expectations put upon them.