Reviews: Vanilla Sky - Waiting For Something
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Room 13 (http://www.roomthirteen.com)
The record company describes them as 'Pop Punk' & that's a fair description for Italian band Vanilla Sky based on this offering. The first couple of tracks are melodic & mid paced- nothing too exciting here & unfortunately this sets the trend for much of the album. Track three 'Wastin' All My Time' picks things up a little, a nice cutting guitar riff & a little more up tempo suggests that perhaps there is better to come. 'Unfriend' follows & reverts to type but for the market they're aiming at this is probably one of the stronger songs & you could see this doing well as a single, by way of comparison it wouldn't sound out of place in Avril Lavigne's set!
'The Point' starts off with a good catchy riff, more punchy than it's predecessors, the vocals are more incisive but it just doesn't quite make it, where you want it to really kick in the chorus slows it all down & it's a question of what might have been. Track six 'Wait for the Sun' finally gets it right and at last it all falls into place - it's fast, the guitars sound urgent & finally there's some grunt behind the vocals which provides the passion that has thus far been lacking.
Just as things are looking up however it all disappears as quickly as it arrived, the next three songs are lack lustre affairs. '70 Miles Away' is reminiscent of Busted whereas 'Broken Car' is an instantly forgettable ballad.
Penultimate track 'Never Falling Star' is another contender for a single, it 's classic pop punk, love it or hate it the ingredients are all there - the big chorus, the simple melodic verse & ample opportunity to jump in the air at a given moment.
The inexplicable track on this record is the final offering 'The Ghost Track '. Where did this come from?! Dare I say it's almost hardcore with solid guitar work, frantic drumming & more biting vocals finally deliver the goods. It has the dynamics & the edge that earlier offerings failed to deliver & is the best track by some way.
'The Ghost Track' aside you can see this record coming a mile off - you just know what's going to happen at every turn, it's kiddy punk & it's aimed at a specific market & in that at least it succeeds. Ultimately the songs just aren't strong enough, four or five listens later & I'm still not humming them as I stroll around the supermarket, unlike Girls Aloud - which is kind of worrying!
Euro Punk (http://www.europunk.net)
Summer's here. May I proudly present to you: the album for the summer.
Italy's Vanilla Sky are like bottled sunshine. This is a record of very well executed pop punk tunes, excellently produced and packaged. In fact, it's somewhat of an anomaly. I've not heard anything out of Europe that's sounded this good for a long, long time. The production values are that good. Imagine an Italian Midtown, and that's essentially what these guys are. There are many moments when listening to this record that you think of a Midtown song or two. However I'm not going to hold this against Vanilla Sky because frankly most bands who try to emulate the US competition fall a long way short. VS are right up there with the New Jersey boys in ability and delivery.
For me, what sets a good pop-punk band apart from their mediocre peers is imagination and technical ability. Lots of people can write a good tune, but they can't always translate melody into kickass pop-punk. These guys can. This is a record chock-full of quality tunes, but it's the gloss that really sets them apart. We get some perfectly placed synth, some cute guitar solos that don't overstep their intentions, a tiny bit of screaming to emphasise emotion and consistently excellent harmonising. It's like Vanilla Sky have examined all the best parts of the best pop-punk albums and combined them into one well-rounded record. We have the power ballad (Unfriend), the double-time shred (Wait For Sun) and of course the essentially involving opener (Distance). There's some acoustic ponderings (Looking for Memories, Broken Car) too. Another thing I really like about this record is the imaginative lead guitar lines. Many bands in this genre don't layer their guitar lines properly but VS have some excellent technical guitar-work that really fleshes out their songwriting.
The only real criticism I can level at these guys is their lyrical content. It's a bit sugary and saccharine for my tastes. It's not too bad but poetically they're certainly not what would be classed as 'profound'. Also Brian and Vinx, who share vocal duties, definitely sound Italian. Personally I don't think this is a bad thing but I am aware of some people who may find their singing accents a bit weird. I think it helps to separate them from the vast slew of pop-punk bands out there; it adds some identity.
People who whinge about originality in pop-punk records need not apply here. Don't buy this expecting something stunningly new and different. If you're looking for a European band with well-executed songs that have, for once, been recorded and mastered professionally, then you can't do much better than these guys. I love the artwork; a hot girl on the cover never did anyone any harm.Considering this is their debut album, I think Vanilla Sky have a very strong future. Wynona Records are totally dominating my stereo at the moment. Keep it up guys.
