On the Ones and Threes

They weren't as influential as Pavement, as industrious as Guided By Voices, as idiosyncratic as Unrest, or as ubiquitous as Superchunk. But the part that Versus played in the indie rock underground of the 1990s can't be overlooked. In some ways, Versus were the quintessential indie rock band. Versus' growth throughout the decade, from mawkish noise-popists beholden to their underground-approved influences (on 1993's The Stars Are Insane) to mature, reliable, genre-bounding songwriters (on 2000's Hurrah) mirrors the growth, for better or worse, of the genre as a whole. The group's two Caroline Records releases-- 1996's Secret Swingers, and 1998's Two Cents Plus Tax-- sound as close as most any other records to a definitive indie rock sound. That those records are out-of-print says as much about Versus' fortunes as it does the fortunes of hooky, three-to-four-minute indie rock tracks like "Atomic Kid" and "Lose That Dress".

Check out “Invincible Hero”, the opening track of the new Versus album On the Ones and Threes, and it’s hard to believe that the one-time indie stalwarts have been on hiatus for a decade. Whipping up out a whirlwind of guitar sound, then covering it with a glossy, shimmering sheen, Versus sounds as formidable as the song’s title. On par with the best of Versus’ earlier work, “Invincible Hero” is a triumphant return for a band not taking for granted that absence has made any hearts grow fonder. When guitarist Richard Baluyut sings, “You’re gonna need to travel back in time / You’re gonna need somebody on your side / Invincible hero,” he might as well be announcing that Versus is back and in full effect.