Van Cleef, Supervillainesque

Posted on 21st Aug 09 by Connor Moloney | 5

Long before the eighties were cool, they were shite. This is not to pooh-pooh the recent revival of all things pretty in pink- like most revivals, the better moments tend to be sifted from amidst the dross. Even during the eighties itself, many people thought it was all a bit naff. So much so in fact, that the music which we came to call “indie” and “alternative” evolved as an antidote to the overblown schmaltz of the era, as small-timers like Pixies, The Psychedelic Furs and The Violent Femmes turned their frustration at it all into lo-fi gold.

Van Cleef, Super Villainesque

So as La Roux, Florence and The Machine et al. mine the decade’s dodgy synths and dodgier quiffs, an excavation of the underbelly of eighties rock could prove more than welcome for those of us who’ll soon have had enough of it all. On their debut album, Dublin four-piece Van Cleef do their best to redress that balance, albeit with mixed results.

Lead single Prince sets the tone for much of what’s on here, a doleful bedroom anthem with a climbing chorus, delivered in a unique part-Morrissey, part-Lou Reed drawl from singer Feather. Dodo continues much in the same vein, bringing to mind a more downbeat Violent Femmes.

Indeed,the alt-rock pioneers seem to be the chief influence here, with the band’s sparse instrumentation frequently recalling Gordon Gano and Co., with the smart singalong Work’s Not All My Day being the most obvious homage.

Unforunately, while they can somewhat ape  their heroes way with a tune, Van Cleef lack The Femmes’ chops and rhythmic dexterity. Too much here, such as the turgid  Burst Your Bubble or the uninspired glam stomp of opener Meet Me in Vietnam, is let down by the band’s obvious musical limitations.  While their no frills approach to arrangement is initially refreshing, its inability to surprise becomes Supervillainesque’s achilles heel as the album wears on. Moreover, the rockier moments of this album tend to feel a bit forced, as best showcased on Wrong Place At The Wrong Time, a hapless chest-beater which resembles a hair-metal standard in all but the band’s grungy delivery.

Consequently, the album’s  best moments come in the form of  more mid-paced fair. The grungy ballad Improvise hints that Van Cleef may do a nice line in Gothic macabre, while One Of The Cosbys, which recalls the nursery rhyme ballads of late-period Velvet Underground, is wonderfully affecting. The group seem to find more room to breathe, and more space for melodic invention, when they take their foot off  the gas.

As mentioned earlier, the best revivals cherry pick the good ideas of an era and and shape them with more modern sounds to create something fresh. Van Cleef haven’t got the alchemy quite right yet, but they have at least unearthed enough gold to suggest they should keep going. An encouraging start.

Drop-d Rating: 5/10

Van Cleef Myspace

Tags: Florence and The Machine, La Roux, Lou Reed, Morrissey, Pixies, The Psychedelic Furs, The Violent Femmes, Velvet Underground