DEAD MONEY - Vegas Kings (Merenoise)
Q. What comes from Brisbane has a big swinging bottom end, a dirty mind and a headfull of noise? A. Not a fat-arsed hooker who's fucked up and wearing an iPod while doing business in Fortitude Valley, but a locally-fermented three-piece called the Vegas Kings.
"Dead Money" is grimy, blues rock that hasn't washed in a month...it knows it stinks but revels in it, content to roll up and sleep in the parks, downriver from the Storey Bridge, as long as the money saved on a room will buy the next bottle of rotgut. Hellbound Harrys with a rare swagger and bite in their 11 songs - and a nice taste in covers (the Stooges' "Loose" and Digger & The Pussycats' "10 Car Pile Up", no less.)
But it's all about the originals and these are good 'uns. This is their second album, by all accounts, and I'm kicking myself for not hearing the first so I have something more concrete to measure this against. Whatever. If it's only half as good it would still stand up, 'cos "Dead Money" sure does. Stands up on its back legs and howls, especially on a slide-fueled amphetamine rush like "All By Myself" or a statement of purpose like "I Great Ape".
These songs are not five-chord prog rock work-outs and this is no concept album. This is back-to-basics, backyard blues rock, with a trashy sensibility (dig the none-too-subtle Who nod on "Fade Away"!) and the slightest twang to the guitar, plus lots of churn in the rhythmic undertow. Mostly two guitars and drums with bass only occasionally roped in (the guitars seem tuned down to compensate), it sounds big nevertheless. Props to Angus Chapman and his kit. Messrs Ben Dougherty and Pete Collins share vocals and if it's not often pretty, it's pretty effective.
Chet from the Immortal Lee County Killers and Loki from Spooky Records did the twiddling stuff behind the desk and made a great fist of capturing these raw, bluesy sounds. (Hell, they just probably turned up, guzzled bourbon like there was no tomorrow, flicked the button to record and had a great time - it sounds like the band did!) Seriously, it takes fine judgement NOT to fuck with something like this. More power to them.
If there has to be a criticism it's the lack of lighter tunes - until "My Babe" at the death. The rest of these songs are so angry they need to be taken to the naughty corner for half-an-hour, only to be surreptitiously clipped around the ears when the camera isn't looking. The temptation to apply more drastic measures isn't out of the question either. Spare the ether, spare the child and all that.
Powerpop fans look elsewhere. Power ballads suck anyway and I'd swap 10 Totos for two minutes of the Vegas Kings' re-arranged and un-homogenised "Loose", as wayward as it gets towards the end.
Feel unclean and roll in this shit. –
The Barman
