You may or may not have heard, but recently Jeremiah Green left indie stalwarts Modest Mouse to focus on his other band, Vells. When I saw this, there was a bit of ‘WTF’ going in my head too. Maybe this band was something pretty special. Well, to quell the anticipation, Vells’ debut self-titled EP is (as they say on some other music site) "nice enough but isn’t strong." The band can be best described as a Northwestern indie rock take on twee pop... stronger guitar riffs, 60s jangle and rhythm but without strong songs. "Blue, Blue Skies" and "In Sunless Seas" are nice enough, but the songs go nowhere and the sparkle in Tristum Marcum’s vocals fade out rather quickly. "Gun for Gun" is a fun take on The Shins’ weakest moments, but that’s about the highest compliment I can offer here. The harmonies, the jangle, the fuzz, the beat…it’s all standard and done to death. The price you pay for sticking to one genre is you box yourself into a hole. Dear Vells, before it’s too late, try something new. Love, Jean-Pierre.
1. Light on the Right
2. Blue, Blue Bones
3. Starlights Our Way
4. In Sunless Seas
5. Gun for Gun
6. The Very Scary Trees
More about: The Vells
