Vundabar

NOTE: I know this is sort of an unorthodox post for an AP English blog, but I wrote this review for a music blog I'm a part of (http://muziqclub.blogspot.com/) so I figured I'd just post it on here.

Vundabar is a band from Scituate, Massachusetts, comprised of Brandon Hagen (vocals, guitar) and Drew McDonald (drums). They recently released their first EP, The Holy Toledo, which is available for free on Bandcamp.

For starters, I’ll just say up front that I do really like this EP. It ain’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it shows a ton of potential. The riffs, drum parts, vocals just their whole feel really has a certain amount of depth and originality that is a pleasure to the ear.

Trying to define Vundabar by genre is really pretty tricky. They certainly fall under the rather broad label of Rock, but after that things get sticky. They jump from bouncy punk-pop with a little indie feel to this interesting almost jazz-like shuffle. Ultimately though, it doesn’t really matter. While it might seem like this would leave the album feeling very unfocused, a certain theme does seem to come across and that is the sense of enjoyment coming from the two musicians. Whether it’s the silly, somewhat nonsensical lyrics or just the energy coming from the guitar and drum parts, these guys are having fun and that really comes across.

In terms of the actual music, I really have very few complaints. The guitar riffs are very catchy, the vocals are occasionally sort of drone-y (more on that later) but really mix with the feel of the song and the drums really strike a balance between being interesting on their own to listen to while not stealing attention. I think what I like most about their music is how much everything seems to fit together, a feature which is probably due to the fact that Brandon and Drew are best friends. My several complaints are really overwhelmed by that pretty complete feel that the music exudes. As far as those complaints go, I really only have two that aren’t nitpicking. First of all, I really would love to see Brandon use his range more. Although I know that he is a very strong tenor from personal experience, he sticks to this really low-pitched sort of mumble throughout most of the album. Although for the most part the low range really fits, there are certain moments where I felt that if he had gone up into his higher range that it would have added a sense of excitement and energy. My second complaint is that they sometimes really seem to be missing a bassist. While they’re mostly able to get away without one, every once in a while I just find myself missing the power and solidity that a bass can provide. The solution to that though isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. Adding a third person would probably take away a certain amount of the cohesiveness that I feel is this album’s greatest strength.

In the end, I’m feeling an 8/10 for this EP. While it certainly isn’t the greatest music I’ve ever heard, it certainly shows that these two teenagers have a ton of potential. I’ll be keeping my eye on them, for sure.


Favorite track:

Voodoo

Least Favorite track:

The Slug

Get the album here: http://vundabar.bandcamp.com/album/the-holy-toledo