The Vincent Black Shadow

Fears in the Waters (Bodog)
by Scott Hefflon

If ya liked early No Doubt, you’ll love Canada’s The Vincent Black Shadow. Be careful, however, seeing as there are a bunch of bands who’ve swiped the classic motorcycle’s name (made infamous by Hunter S. Thompson), and most of them suck. TVBS don’t suck. In fact, they quite rule. While, sure, they’re a little cheesy and overly glossy, with more cutesy Gwen cupiedollness than Bif Naked strut, it sure beats more teenie rebel yell Avrilisms or another Pink song. Also, rather importantly, TVBS is a BAND, not a songbird preening with some session dorks and a name producer in tow. The guitar/bass engine are brothers, and it shows. More than simply lock’n’grooving, their motions seem nearly telepathic, as only brothers who’ve jammed together since the womb can muster. There’s classy orchestration (not the “throw a bunch of strings in the background” the divas settle for cuz they can’t tell the difference), a bit of Devo-dorkdom, and Randy Newman tinkers for a moment or so before being chased out of the studio by a swaggering Sheena, fur boots and all. So if you like to swing, slam, wiggle, and sing loudly along to sexy/smart lyrics, The Vincent Black Shadow is your ride.
(www.bodogmusic.com)