I had to go and lie down in a darkened room the other day.
The reason? I found out Ash’s “Girl From Mars” was released 30 years ago last week.
It’s sobering when 1995 is now considered classic rock. And if that makes me feel old, it also makes The Vendettas’ new album feel timeless.
Melbourne’s The Vendettas kick off “Who’s Who in the Zoo” with something so classic-sounding in “Jealous and Evil” that it could have emerged at any point in rock ‘n’ roll history and still sounded right.
The band themselves reckon they wanted the album to feel like they were in a packed dive bar, and that’s exactly the vibe on “Head On Collision”: energy, good times, a hint of danger – it’s all here.
“This Time Around” taps into that other Aussie sound – not the AC/DC blueprint, but the swaggering rock of You Am I and their ilk.
And when “Lovesick Man” takes the handbrake off, it does so with a tinge of the ’60s and a keen eye for a chorus.
They pack plenty into this particular zoo’s cages, and most of it comes with a wonderful melody. “New Walk” is a slice of mid-paced brilliance; quirky lyrics and a stunner of a solo seal the deal.
That’s true of the guitar work throughout, to be fair. “Mildly Amusing” even kicks off with a solo, which is always fun.
The harmonies and acoustic textures of “Fly On the Wall” are as warming and gentle as a summer breeze, but the way it builds is pure class.
“Settle Down” sounds anything but as it picks up the pace, dropping you right back into that Friday night dive bar. Yet The Vendettas clearly have bigger ambitions – “Out in the Rain” isn’t the work of a band content to stay in Melbourne’s hostelries, and the five-and-a-half-minute exploration that is “Raise the Weary” underlines the point.
Say “Aussie rock ’n’ roll” and you get a certain picture in your head. The Vendettas have roots in that tradition, but on “Who’s Who in the Zoo” they welcome you into their own jungle – and it might just be there’s a new big beast in town.
Rating: 8.5/10
