The Los Angeles underground-punk scene came to the forefront of music in the summer of 2008 as Los Angeles veterans No Age took the stage with Pete Wentz on MTV. The two forces joined and debuted one of the best music videos in 2008 “Eraser.”
So it’s no surprise that the opener for No Age Abe Vigoda – yes the band is named after that old buffoon who wandered around the Conan O’Brien set – gets its chance in the spotlight with a five-track EP to follow up on 2008’s full-length acclaimed “Skeleton.” Its new EP “Reviver was released on Feb. 17.
The full-length debut of Skeleton” gave a breath of fresh air into the stale punk music scene. The four-piece band mashed everything from afro-pop guitars to mind-bending drum work from Juan Velazquez. It was peppy upbeat and almost too close to resembling a whacked-out Vampire Weekend on some tracks like the single “Dead City/Waste Wilderness.”
Vigoda is a proud veteran of the downtown Los Angeles experimental venue The Smell and it certainly has more potential than No Age to break from its underground roots. With the release of “Reviver Vigoda seemingly pulls away from the constraints of the forced upbeat, tropical punk Skeleton.”
“Reviver” showcases the band’s new elements which are put on display for its old and new audiences. With its acclaim reaching well beyond Los Angeles Vigoda could have simply rehashed “Skeleton” and everyone would have praised it. But instead Vigoda takes a strikingly different turn offering up a more experimental approach to its already thrashing sound. While the upbeat drums are kept Michael Vidal’s voice goes a few octaves lower to accompany the slower bass and guitars.
The best example comes right at the beginning with “Don’t Lie as guitars combat with a darker tone and an unclear, drone sample loop.
House” and EP-ender “The Reaper” are the only tracks close to what Vigoda put forth on “Skeleton but the production values are upped with more exhilarating and interesting ideas with each push of the dual guitars.
The only mishaps – which on a five-track EP might be too much – are the band’s take on No Age’s noise instrumentals, which well, only No Age can pull off at this point.
While Skeleton” saw Vigoda try on a different cap “Reviver” points to a different direction. With a darker tone and a more straight-forward rock approach in most of the tracks Abe Vigoda release one of those transitional EPs to alert fans and critics alike that a band on the rise can certainly take steps towards finding their true sound.