Review: Vagina Panther – S/T

November 5th, 2009 by Oswald Hobbes / Comment on this post

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Hailing themselves as an “illegal rock band,” Vagina Panther aren’t far off the mark – their self-titled debut (opens in iTunes) is fast and furious, with a scuzzy sound that suggests the past 30 years of rock rebellion stuffed into a blender and set to “sludge.”

Link opens in iTunes

Led by their diminutive but fierce front woman Dead June, the band races through eleven tracks at a rapid punk clip. They don’t stop to take a breath or indulge in anything as self-serious as “variety,” and you won’t find an ounce of fat anywhere. A siren kicks off “I Bet You There Are Some Burly Dudes On That Ship…,” and it functions as a warning: VP didn’t come to fuck around. Hardly anything clocks in at over three minutes, and the best tunes (“Dave, You Are Killing Me,” “Pressure Check,” “Action”) compress all the power of classic riff-rock while ditching the excess.

There’s not much in the way of technical flash, but attribute that to VP’s single-minded dedication to tightness. They don’t need solos to destroy, and June’s vocals are forceful without resorting to abrasion. The greatest joy of a record like this is the cohesion that stems from simplicity; it’s hard to get off track if you don’t wander.

The band should get some decent mileage out of its absurd name, but they don’t need any gimmicks: Vagina Panther is steely and huge without ever grabbing at the epic, and the replay factor is off the charts. Bursting with personality, muscle, and danger, this is a godesend for anybody that misses the visceral thrill of real rock ‘n’ roll.