Pigeonholing VHS Or Beta as !!! or Radio 4 with a Robert Smith clone for a frontman would be too easy. But it’s accurate, and by no means a negative portrayal.
Knob-twiddling weirdness seamlessly integrated with duh-style riff rock. Like Van Conner’s former band, Screaming Trees, only more hard rock and psychedelic.
Real Gone is a return to the territory Waits has rummaged through for the past 20 years or so, with a few surprises thrown in to make sure nobody gets bored.
Perhaps it’s the different singers (I count at least three) or the variety of styles, but this feels like songs from two or three different albums put together.
Ramones/Motörhead/Thin Lizzy cha-cha-cha from guys who’ve tooled for The Laughing Hyenas, Easy Action, Speedball, The Paybacks, The Fags, Seduce, and others.