The Vladimirs

Serpent Girl & Songs To Shed The Skin (Blood & Guts)
by Ewan Wadharmi

There’s a cat named Jerry Only who should really hear these guys. You see, Jerry’s been helming this band of Misfits for years now, and can’t figure out why people keep walking out of his shows. The Vladimirs are dark and heavy like a beatnik, y’all. They’ve got a perfectly tasteless number that’s sure to draw controversy entitled “Death Of The Party,” about a high schooler murdering his bullies. While “She’s Been Worshipping the Devil” is one of the funniest death-rock moments since, well, ever. A ’50s lost-my-girlfriend song declaring “I asked her out for a Friday night/ I thought she might like to dance/ but all she did was go off on a rant/ about how Christ was buried in some church in France.” The straight songs get increasingly better until the dramatic grand finale, “Pictures of Suzy,” which blows away anything Type O could put together. Morbid, magnificent, gentle, and violent epic, this is an intricately crafted masterpiece.
(www.bloodandgutsrecords.com)