_The Vaudeville Smash - Breezy Summer Hits (06/11/2011)
Nowadays everything old is new again, and in the case of The Vaudeville Smash, Yacht Rock is making a comeback. The nostalgia of the late 70’s - early 80’s is captured in their three track EP ‘Breezy Summer Hits’.
Being an 80’s child makes it easier for me to appreciate where this Melbourne based band of six are coming from. The first track ‘I Want You’ is a catchy tune about love and desire expressed in the poetic lyrics, "We live for pure emotion, we live for love so invite me home" The boppy drum beat layered with tinkling synth keyboard notes, inspires the boogie rhythm within. This track includes additional vocals by talented singer/songwriter Kate Vigo, but in this case I struggle to catch any of her distinct sweet tone in the background.
The second track ‘Strangest Dream’ has more of a soul funk disco vibe and is about a crazy night out on the town. Lead singer Marc Lucchesi’s vocals are a standout and mingle well with both his brother Dan’s higher bee gee style register and other brother Luca’s funky bass lines. Marc also plays a mean saxophone hook adding to the tune’s cool laid back atmosphere.
The final track is a remix of ‘Strangest Dream’ put together by ‘Snickers Lamington’. It takes the original song, strips it down and then piles layer upon layer of electro samples, resulting in a disjointed edginess. As with a lot of remixed tunes the audience may or may not go with it, I didn’t think the mix improved the original and would have liked to have heard more of a twist to the track.
For lovers of 70’s/80’s disco, this one is for you. For anyone cruising out on a yacht, wind in their hair, maybe enjoying a chilled glass of wine, this one is definitely for you. The Vaudeville Smash are self assured in the sound they’re going for and have a lot of fun with it. With their shows already starting to sell out, it seems that people know a good thing when they hear it, and are happy to come along for the ride.
Nazia Hafiz
Being an 80’s child makes it easier for me to appreciate where this Melbourne based band of six are coming from. The first track ‘I Want You’ is a catchy tune about love and desire expressed in the poetic lyrics, "We live for pure emotion, we live for love so invite me home" The boppy drum beat layered with tinkling synth keyboard notes, inspires the boogie rhythm within. This track includes additional vocals by talented singer/songwriter Kate Vigo, but in this case I struggle to catch any of her distinct sweet tone in the background.
The second track ‘Strangest Dream’ has more of a soul funk disco vibe and is about a crazy night out on the town. Lead singer Marc Lucchesi’s vocals are a standout and mingle well with both his brother Dan’s higher bee gee style register and other brother Luca’s funky bass lines. Marc also plays a mean saxophone hook adding to the tune’s cool laid back atmosphere.
The final track is a remix of ‘Strangest Dream’ put together by ‘Snickers Lamington’. It takes the original song, strips it down and then piles layer upon layer of electro samples, resulting in a disjointed edginess. As with a lot of remixed tunes the audience may or may not go with it, I didn’t think the mix improved the original and would have liked to have heard more of a twist to the track.
For lovers of 70’s/80’s disco, this one is for you. For anyone cruising out on a yacht, wind in their hair, maybe enjoying a chilled glass of wine, this one is definitely for you. The Vaudeville Smash are self assured in the sound they’re going for and have a lot of fun with it. With their shows already starting to sell out, it seems that people know a good thing when they hear it, and are happy to come along for the ride.
Nazia Hafiz