The Vaccines: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

The Vaccines
What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Columbia Records [2011]









Fire Note Says: The Vaccines bring some swagger on their debut LP straight out of London!

Album Review:
The Vaccines will quickly treat any boredom you may have had recently with some of the more standard indie rock records out there as the first energized track off their debut, "Wreckin' Bar", hits you with a "ra ra ra" and some straight guitar all packaged into a tight 1:22. The band lives off the just under three minute song structure and will suck you in with their catchy choruses and sing-a-long versus. The album title of their debut is almost perfect, as it sets no expectations and lets their mix of Ramones meets the Editors follow a familiar formula that countless bands before them have produced but the difference here is that The Vaccines back it up with the right swagger and hooky personality. "Post Break-Up Sex" is bound for playlists around the world, as lead singer Justin Young exclaims that it is the best way to forget an ex and "Blow It Up" is instantly memorable with its repeated chorus. The entire record cruises by in 36 minutes with most of its singles front loaded in the first half but some of The Vaccines best work actually comes near the end of album, as one of its highlights "All In White" is a slow building grower that simply soars musically and lyrically, while the longest song on the record "Family Friend" ramps up into a scorching finish. The Vaccines don't recreate the wheel on What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? but they do inject a freshness into a classic sound that truly blends a punk attitude and modern flare for an entertaining album all the way to the end!

Key Tracks: "Wreckin' Bar", "All In White", "Blow It Up"

Bands With Similar Fire:
The Strokes
Arctic Monkeys
The Drums

The Vaccines Website
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Columbia Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony