Even when ‘English Graffiti’ sounds like The Vaccines, it’s a kitschier, more colourful, hyper-stylised version.
English Graffiti is a record full of ideas that has much to commend it, neither a triumphant or disastrous third album, just not a great one.
These are candied sonic fantasias, passionate re-creations of the past with no reverence for history, and that divine, stubborn nostalgia fuels English Graffiti, turning it into the Vaccines' best record.
If anything, what English Graffiti does have that its predecessors sorely lacked is heart—the only measure of authenticity that really matters.
It’s not to say that English Graffiti is musically incompetent, though their impulse to borrow eighties nostalgia is more akin to that of perusing your relative’s baby boomer collection instead of following your cool uncle’s guidance.
It’s unfair to lay the blame of guitar-pop’s current malaise at the Vaccines door, they’re hardly doing it on purpose, but then English Graffiti is talismanic of the problem: in every sense nothing to get excited about.
Throwaway
The Vaccines are yet to remember how to make actual catchy and fun music, and once more, instead of playing to their strengths, they try a more synthpop style of sound, and my god does it fail miserably.
So yeah, after the trainwreck that "Come of Age" was, I didn't really think the band would return to the sound they had on their debut, but nor did I think they would drift even further away from it. This thing really sucks, it seriously sounds like the kind of stuff that ... read more
1. Handsome (6.0/10)
2. Dream Lover (9.6/10)
3. Minimal Affection (5.7/10)
4. 20/20 (6.2/10)
5. (All Afternoon) In Love (6.6/10)
6. Denial (6.4/10)
7. Want U So Bad (7.3/10)
8. Radio Bikini (6.8/10)
9. Maybe I Could Hold You (6.2/10)
10. Give Me A Sign (5.5/10)
11. Undercover (5.6/10)
12. English Graffiti (7.0/10)
13. Stranger (5.8/10)
14. Miracle (6.3/10)
Average: 6.5/10
Weird
The Vaccines decide to try and go more electronic with their sound and it is extremely mixed. It reminds me a lot of OK Go actually, and just like OK Go, the singles are quite good but the rest is not worth your time at all and I don't have much comment on them. Still though, I'd recommend checking out Handsome, Dream Lover, Want You So Bad, and especially Minimal Affection which I swear is one of their best songs, it is a genuine 10/10 from me. But like I said, you can ignore the ... read more
1 | Handsome 2:20 | 80 |
2 | Dream Lover 3:45 | 83 |
3 | Minimal Affection 3:59 | 84 |
4 | 20/20 3:07 | 69 |
5 | (All Afternoon) In Love 3:54 | 81 |
6 | Denial 3:01 | 74 |
7 | Want You So Bad 4:18 | 79 |
8 | Radio Bikini 2:05 | 72 |
9 | Maybe I Could Hold You 3:10 | 75 |
10 | Give Me a Sign 3:34 | 74 |
11 | Undercover 2:00 | 67 |