Review Summary: Tropical punks undergo gothic synth-rock transformation, with positive results.
Abe Vigoda first came to prominence about four years ago with the release of their sophomore album,
Kid City, which attracted attention with its distinctive and abrasive lo-fi punk sound. 2008 then brought us the slightly more accessible but ground-breaking
Skeleton, which built on the styles found on
Kid City and experimented with tropicália influences. What made these albums so captivating to listen to is the way in which they sounded like absolutely nothing else at the time.
Skeleton in particular was both challenging and infectious, with trebly guitar tones resembling steel drums and rapid tempo changes which were truly one of a kind.
As a result,
Crush will come as a massive surprise to most Abe Vigoda fans. Some will feel bitterly disappointed whilst others will feel alienated. Despite the quality of their first two releases,
Crush actually feels like their most accomplished work to date. It trades tropicália and lo-fi punk for something much more chilling and dark as well as a generally more polished sound. The album is undoubtedly more conventional in structure than both
Kid City and
Skeleton, but at the same time it feels no less intricate and ambitious. The album draws its influences from the atmospheric 80s synth-pop of the likes of Echo and The Bunnymen but easily finds enough inspiration and creativity to make it as refreshing as the albums which came before it.
The album starts with a bang - 'Sequins' shines with a shimmering synth hook, combining flourishes of electronics with dynamic vocals that exceed expectations right from the off. It's a perfect example of just how much Abe Vigoda can do with this new sound, and the rest of the album does not disappoint in terms of versatility. 'Dream of My Love (Chasing After You)' is a much darker affair, incorporating yet more synth effects into a somber and brooding track which is reminiscent of Bauhaus, but more subdued. Meanwhile, on 'Throwing Shade', Michael Vidal's powerful vocals come to the forefront much more than ever before, and this really plays to the band's advantage. The song slowly builds up, adding more and more layers of electronics and percussion until the song reaches a dramatic climax. If there’s one song on
Crush which most closely resembles Abe Vigoda’s early work, it’s ‘November’, a ghostly, monumental wall of noise which is like a gothic pop rehash of ‘Cranes’ from
Skeleton. It’s also one of the album’s most memorable tracks, and despite the absence of tropical polyrhythms and metallic hooks, it’s the one which is most likely to appeal to fans who are disappointed with the direction Abe Vigoda have chosen to take on
Crush. ‘Pure Violence’ is triumphant in sounding anthemic, whilst ‘Repeating Angel’ brings the tempo down a notch with an atmospheric vibe and a vocal part which is incredibly kindred to Robert Smith of the Cure. The album continues in a similar vein until its closer, ‘We Have To Mask’, which is probably the greatest indicator on the album of just how far Abe Vigoda have come since
Kid City. The track is chock-full of rippling guitars, pulsing keyboards and eerie vocals and at first there really is very little evidence here of what this band used to be. However, the foundations are still there, and this prevents the band from suffering a complete loss of identity. Whilst it may be difficult to identity this as an Abe Vigoda album when first listening to it, the roots of their sound can still be clearly heard, and this is part of what makes
Crush so successful.
There’s no doubt about the fact that Abe Vigoda have taken more than just a small step with the release of
Crush, firmly establishing that they are one of the most versatile acts around. For many bands, such a move can alienate fans, particularly in the case of a once incredibly distinctive sound being transformed into something that is less so. Whether or not this is the case for Abe Vigoda is a different story, but
Crush is the kind of album which will only entice more fans without entirely losing the core of what made their first two efforts so good. The unpredictability of this album’s release emphasizes just how adaptable this band can be, and leaves an infinite amount of possibilities available for them in the future - Abe Vigoda are now free to develop and progress their sound in whichever way they want. Whilst a return to the sound with which they made a name for themselves would be welcomed by many admirers, you can’t help but think that they’ll once again try something completely new and exciting with their next release. The future is bright for Abe Vigoda.
