Abe Vigoda - Throwing Shade

Abe Vigoda return in September with 'Crush', an album they are describing as their cold-wave effort. 'Throwing Shade' is aptly titled, taking the tropical purples and greens of their older material and cloaking them in a gloomy shadow. Ever inventive and eager to avoid repetition at all costs, Abe Vigoda are one of the most creative and admirable bands around. Keep it locked for something special.

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Abe Vigoda - 'Crush'

LA's finest jerk punks Abe Vigoda have posted a demo of their new song 'Crush' up on their Myspace. On first listen it sounds more direct than previous work, heads down and going for it. Great vocals too. Will add more details about an album etc when I find them. For now click the link and have a listen.

Myspace: Abe Vigoda - 'Crush'

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Albums Of The Year- The Also Rans

Over the past few days I have realised that there were loads of good albums I missed off my list of top albums. That top 25 was probably more like a 'most played 25' and not entirely indicative of what I have enjoyed in 2008. Below is a list of a lot more I have enjoyed this year.

Abe Vigoda- Skeleton
Albert Hammond Jr- Como Te Llama?
Be Your Own Pet- Get Awkward
Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
Deerhunter- Microcastles
Duncan Lloyd- Seeing Double
El Guincho- Alegranza
Elbow- The Seldom Seen Kid
Errors- It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever
Flight Of The Conchords- Flight Of The Conchords
Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ
Fucked Up- Chemistry Of Common Life
The Gaslight Anthem- 59 Sound


Juno- OST
Kings Of Leon- Only By The Night
The Long Blondes- Couples
The Long Blondes- Singles
Neon Neon- Stainless Style
No Age- Nouns
Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
Rolo Tomassi- Hysterics
Santogold- Santogold
Tilly & The Wall-O
Tokyo Police Club- Elephant Shell
Vivian Girls- Vivian Girls
Wild Beasts- Limbo Panto

Flight Of The Conchords- 'Ladies Of The World'

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Abe Vigoda- Skeleton

Abe Vigoda
‘Skeleton’
Bella Union
October 6th
4/5
LINK

To many Los Angeles, the city of angels, is a town full of preconceptions and stereotypes. Chiefly fourty year old women injecting and implanting their way back in time being served by a wannabe actor in a restaurant run by a man who gave up the Hollywood dream years ago. It seems, from the outside at least, to be a place where the American dream died and was replaced by the get famous quick world we live in today. However its spawned an underbelly, a musical hub and it’s a thousand miles from the seedy bars that spawned Guns ‘N’ Roses in the 80’s. The Smell is an all ages club where some of this years most innovative and barrier pushing bands have cut their formative teeth. No Age brought the initial attention with ‘Nouns’ then came Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda. The latter have proved to be the crown in The Smells crown and look to capitalise on it with their first full length album ‘Skeleton’.

Many have described Abe Vigodas sound as ‘Tropical Punk’ which the band themselves, in a rare move, have actually agreed on as a moniker. Comparisons to Vampire Weekend however are at best tenuous. They both share a sense of off kilter rhythms and world influences but whilst Ezra Koenig et al are a breezy pop behemoth Abe Vigoda are much more impenetrable, obtuse and complex. Initial listens to ‘Skeleton’ may leave listeners perplexed and head scathingly under whelmed- this is not an album for the feint hearted. ‘Dead City/ Wasted Wilderness’ is a riotous beginning with galloping beats and rattling guitars. ‘Bear Face’ is as immediate as Abe Vigoda get boasting their most straight forward structure and chorus whilst ‘Cranes’ really takes things up a gear, taking all the elements of the band and increasing the heat. Its no ‘Rein In Blood’ but the layering of guitars, drums and the dense clatter they create takes some adjusting to. The hooks and melodies tease and play hard to get, they draw you in and lead you to others but you have to work to get there.

As punk s they are ambient Abe Vigoda are a curveball of quirkily epic proportions and whilst ‘Skeleton’ might not be for the casual listener it will truly lavish reward on the persistant.

'Bear Face'- Live

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