The Vaselines- Enter the Vaselines
Ya know that person who is better than you at something even though they don’t take it seriously? That’s The Vaselines in a nutshell. A young bored couple who started a band on a whim who went on to create some of the most interesting music I’ve heard.
The main reason people check out this band is because they were Kurt Cobain’s favorite band. And while that might seem like high praise, he was also a fan of The Shaggs and The Butthole Surfers, so his taste was esoteric to say the least. And that description fits The Vaselines well, even though they are pretty straight rock and roll for the most part. But the songs are so strange and repetitive that there’s no way the band could hope to be popular.
When I first listened to their most popular song “Son of a Gun” I had a weird feeling so I listened to it again.
“Are they just saying the same thing over and over again?”
I wasn’t sure so I listened again to make sure.
“They are! They’re just alternating two verses, but it still sounds like a complete song. That’s amazing!”
If that doesn’t sound amazing to you then these guys are not for you.
The way that The Vaselines play with repetition is central to their sound, comparable to the Ramones. But there’s also a touch of the Scottish or Irish folk song in there too, which actually blends rather well. The melody of the Irish ballad is rather repetitive, the focus being on the lyrics. The Vaselines keep the lyrics the same and change the melody in subtle ways to make it sound like a normal song. Almost.
The closest comparison I’ve come up with for The Vaselines is The Black Keys, even though they sound nothing alike. But they’re both stripped down rock and roll bands with unique sounds and a personality all their own. Their song also work so well as coherent wholes, like miniature jigsaw puzzles.
3/5 I can’t recommend you go seek this out, not in good conscience. You’ll love it or hate it, and I suspect more than half will hate it. And I wish I could say that it gets better with relistens, so just stick with it and you might grow to like it, but, chances are you’ll just hate it more. Also, be warned that quite a few of the songs are sexual in subject matter. You’ve been warned.