Vice Versa are a psychedelic rock four piece from Moscow, Russia. Their
only release to date is this four-track compilation of studio jams and
experiments put together as Rehearsal Tapes. It’s interesting to note
the professional quality that has gone into these recordings along with the
lo-di aesthetics of it being s home recording and fitting to the genre. One
thing's for sure, for a debut demo compilation, this sure is commendable.
This is exactly the kind of music that should be coming out of Russia. A
country with such historic prowess and power should not be prejudiced by what
is quite simply a Green Day tribute band that happens to be in jail for committing
hooliganism in a state cathedral. All the pain and suffering and 80's cold war
visions of Russia come flooding back in dull images while listening to such
volatile and orgasmic sounds. There’s imagery, then there's ingenuity. Vice
Versa are Muscovite's with an ear for melody and an ear for great musical
influence. I'm thoroughly impressed with what they regard to be rehearsal
recordings.
Rehearsal Tapes goes from strength to strength with its lengthy compositions
and off-guard progressions. It start off with the loud and abrasive effects of
"Night Ride" before catching out the listener on countless listens with
the 10 minute magnanimous "Stranger". On both tracks, lead and rhythm
guitar take over with fierce energy and grit. "I'm Going Away" sounds
like it belongs in the 60s. I see a dark stage with just a few fans in the
audience, preparing for a sell-out slot, with this of course being the
rehearsal. You can hear the reverberation on the drums, used to extend the dimensions
of Vice Versa's sound.
Standing out from the lot is fourth and final track "Blackout". It
opens with the plugging in of electric guitars and furious drumming which never
really quietens down. This is Vice Versa delivering what is essentially a punk
track hidden in psychedelic rock effects and funky bass. It's beautifully
shrouded in noise and distortion; they wouldn't have it any other way. It
brings a louder, messier and challenging sound to the table. It's not
avant-garde, but it's certainly different to what you would expect from Hendrix
fanatics.
Vice Versa are taking on a genre that's distanced itself from noise, lo-fi
and experimentation. Just like shoegazing's little brother, nu-gaze; it's
incredibly hard to 'make it' or achieve anything. The post-punk revival bands
have died, the indie folk bands are gimmicky and every indie band under the sun
seems to have to include a synthesizer. The modern psychedelic rock is
essentially neo-psychedelia, a very successful and lucrative range of artists
under this umbrella term. Vice Versa are grounded in the roots of psychedelic
rock, which may come back to haunt them. Just like Allah-Lah's and The Peoples
Temple are grounded in their respectable genres of surf rock and garage rock.
The 60s sounds are long gone, but they're still welcome. This four track
compilation shows a blend of psychedelic rock and noise rock. It's psychedelic
rock right back to the grass roots, which has to be merited.
~Eddie
~Eddie
