The Virgins Hit The Scene
With danceable sexually charged synth pop, The Virgins make an album that compliments the summer season so well, yet probably won't stand the test of time.
The Virgins
The Virgins
Released on Nov 30, -0001
The Virgins' music is anything but virginal, opening their debut self-titled album with a tour de force of sticky sweet synth tinged pure pop music. Up first is "She's Expensive," a rollicking, fun catchy track makes me wonder if the expensive reference is actually about the amount of money they spent to overproduce some of this album. Not that the album sounds bad, just some tracks are highly stylistic and clean, and I'm a girl that likes her music a bit rough around the edges. But The Virgins dance along to their second song, "One Week of Danger," a glam rock party jam that would have a room full of drunk kids raising their hands in the air like they just don't care, and maybe even enticing a few sober ones to dance too. It's just that catchy of a track, and who can refuse a good time when any lead singer decrees, "I like the way her body bends in half."? Next up is the infectious "Rich Girls" - the track that made the rounds on blogs a few months ago. "Rich Girls" has a seedy bass part that slinks along nicely, creating a song that mimics a hot night and some heavy breathing that is perfect for any humid summer night.
And then sadly the party starts to falter. The incredibly cheesy "Teen Lovers" still makes me want to pogo around on the floor, but also makes me laugh at the incredibly stupid sounding music coming out of my stereo. I feel like I'm listening to a b-side from The Wedding Singer soundtrack, and although I enjoy it enough to dance, I feel like I'm meant to laugh at this throwback to the 80's song.
The rest of the album has some stereotypical forgettable tracks, yet retains enough spirit to still make the debut a fun romp. But being either over polished or sloppy shows a band that hasn't really decided on their sound just yet. Are they slick dance music, or more a bad Rooney/Strokes cover band that you hear on tracks like "Hey Hey Girl?"
The Virgins shine best with a strong start on their debut album, but fall prey to common debut album mistakes such as production and lack of a common sound. But give the boys in the band a chance, because when The Virgins are really on, they provide some incredibly catchy pop tracks that will make even the kid with two left feet want to get up and dance.
You can catch The Virgins on the Nylon Magazine sponsored tour with Be Your Own Pet this summer. Make sure to wear your best spandex leggings and brightest neon headband folks!
High Point
The hand clap happy "Murder," a track that would fit very much at home on a few of The Raptures very danceable albums.
Low Point
"Love Is Colder Than Death." Never end an album with a song that has the word death in the title, or end on a down note, just a thought.
Posted by Lisa White on Jun 06, 2008 @ 12:00 am