Lou Reed called: he wants his lyrics back.
By MATT ASHARE | November 7, 2006
Those wily folks in the Vice A&R department were the first to pick up on the potential of, yes, yet another Brooklyn-based outfit, VietNam. They released the band’s debut EP, The Concrete’s Always Grayer on the Other Side of the Street, way back in 2004. But Kemado is the label that will be dropping VietNam’s debut full-length, a homonymous disc that’s due in stores on January 23. In the meantime, the band are hitting the road with the Lemonheads on a tour that ends here in Boston at Avalon on December 16. And as VietNam gear up to be one of the hot bands to watch in 2007, Kemado is releasing a digital-only three-song EP through iTunes, and you can also download a track from the album or even stream the entire disc by going to Kemado’s Web site. We couldn’t resist . . .
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VietNam, “Goodbye” (Live Exclusive)
This dark and stormy live epic is the one track exclusive to the digital EP. Think of mid-period Dylan crossed with Velvets-era Lou Reed and you’ve got a pretty good sense both of Michael Gerner’s vocal delivery and the dark sensibility of his lyrics. Not to mention what the big deal about the band is to begin with. These guys aren’t just testing the waters anymore — this is powerful, hard-hitting guitar rock that’s both classic and timely.
VietNam, “Welcome to My Room”
The similarities to “Sister Ray” are too obvious to ignore on this album track, which opens with a bit of guitar noodling before pounding drums kick in and the band go into overdrive. “Welcome to my room it’s good to see a friend/Well you must be something special if the man at the door let you in,” is one of the Reedier couplets Gerner delivers as the tune works its way toward a long, violent noise-guitar solo. Do they play five-minute-plus songs on FM radio anymore?
VietNam, “Hotel Riverview”
The voices in the background are there only to create the illusion that this track, an album cut you can buy as part of the EP or stream for free courtesy of Kemado, was recorded live. They do give the tune, which sounds so much like the “Pale Blue Eyes” Velvets, roots and all, a nice ambiance. This is Gerner’s version of a walk through the seedy underbelly of the city, complete with “tight blue jeans” and “smacked up dreams.” Uh, Lou Reed called: he wants his lyrics back.
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