Flight 45 (Curve of the Earth)
by Nik Rainey
Things that are decidedly unsurprising about Verago-go:
- It’s a three-piece chick band with a token male drummer that, presumably, the other two make drive the van.
- They have a pun-like name that’s either extremely clever or slightly thick, I can’t tell which. (Like, the name “Vera” crossed with the word “virago” and mixed with the sixties “…a-go-go” thing, you get?)
- They have lyrics about touring, one night stands, high-school reunions, Ophelia, and Speed Racer that either came out of dog-eared notebooks scribbled madly in while sitting in coffeehouse/bookstores or got a B in Creative Writing 101, I can’t tell which.
- They play music described as “stylistic, time-changing, harmonious masterpieces with psychedelic rock-pop-surf-sexy overtones.” Yeah, like whose isn’t?
- The two females harmonize in that classic neither-of-us-can-really-sing-but-that-makes-us-charmingly-dissonant-when-we-do-it-together style that’s been a part of the local chick-band-with-token-male-drummer scene since the dear, departed days of Salem 66 and Throwing Muses.
- The album climaxes with a nine-minute semi-freeform instrumental, complete with a token male drum solo.
- Shhh! Don’t tell anyone! There’s a hidden bonus track!
Things that are surprising about Verago-go:
- They happen to play really good stylistic, time-changing, harmonious masterpieces with psychedelic rock-pop-surf-sexy overtones.
- The climactic nine-minute semi-freeform instrumental is several shades less self-indulgent and tedious than I had any right to expect.
- The hidden bonus track is my favorite song on the disc, a screwy trifle with lyrics we can all get behind: “Fuck me/ fuck me/ fuck me/ you kiss too much.”
- The overall effect makes me want to do naughty things to the band’s two main chicks in the back of their van while the token male drummer, presumably, drives.