Abe Vigoda
Reviver EP
Rating: 3.5
Label: PPM Records
2008 was a good year for Los Angeles indie rock and all-ages venue The Smell, with flagship act No Age releasing their critically acclaimed breakthrough Nouns for Sub Pop and fellow punk-rooted peers like HEALTH, Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda following closely behind with less buzzed about, but no less stellar, records. It may be too early to predict exactly what 2009 holds for this apparently closely connected community, but Abe Vigoda is the first to offer a hint of where they’re going. If the rest of the expats from The Smell can keep pace, 2009 will be an especially triumphant year for the L.A. scene.
Rather than sticking to the “tropical punk rock” that garnered them attention last year as the darker counterpart to Vampire Weekend’s collegiate Afropop pillaging indie, Abe Vigoda have evolved towards a sound that pairs No Age’s shoegaze tendencies with the disco-on-steroids rhythms of HEALTH’s better moments. Unlike last year’s Skeletons, which was merely content to let its sprawling intensity do all the work, Reviver unfolds as deliciously scripted and complex despite the chaos threatening to intrude at every moment. It’s especially interesting to see a band born in a scene previously dominated by the 7″ format adopt a clear, linear focus; Reviver’s five tracks work fine on their own, but the way the songs are mixed and placed make it obvious that they’re meant to be heard as a single piece. Hearing “House” fade into the feedback-drenched, vocal-driven mess of “Endless Sleeper,” which in turns builds into the epic, longing crescendos of “Wild Heart” is not just the best way to hear these songs; it’s the only way.
While some of the group’s younger fans may be disappointed that the band’s sloppier aspects have largely disappeared, it’s clear from the first note of “Don’t Lie” that the band has benefited from touring they’ve done in the past year with groups like No Age and Diplo. The guitars on “Don’t Lie” bleed out around the edges, seemingly screaming in agony, while the bass and drums hold everything together like the world’s biggest band-aid on the world’s largest wound. “House” begins suddenly and without warning, parting the fog with a clear as ice guitar line and desperate J. Mascis-aping vocals that build to an anthemic vocal hook. The kids would probably sing along to this one at the top of their lungs live if anyone could make out the lyrics, but, as with much of the recorded output from the Smell, this muddled production is Reviver’s biggest drawback.
Reviver offers a small glimpse of where Abe Vigoda and the rest of the crew from the Smell are heading. If the band can expand on the ideas presented on this EP and up their production values, they’ll likely garner increased attention in 2009.
