Vietnam
“Self-Titled”
(Vice Recordings)
I can’t believe no other bands took the name Vietnam, I should have fuckin’ thought of that. Vietnam feels like what you would imagine a heroin high would be like, fortunately without the drawbacks of needles, trackmarks and a costly drug addiction. Michael William and Joshua Garrett who are the heart of Vietnam are storytellers. In songs like “Makes No Difference”, the music is really just background texture for the sarcastic, belligerent and sometimes angry vocal rants. These 5 songs are a potent mix of swanky classic rock, folk, and dark loungy blues that is fueled by disgust and reality. Each tune challenges you to life outside of comfort, outside the boundaries of a well rounded lifestyle. There aren’t really any good times flowing through the soul of this record, by the time the concluding song “Lullabye” floated me off, I was ready to drink a bottle of Jack Daniels and pass out in a rain gutter. For those who value real stories about life, backed by music that proves these guys are no joke, I recommend Vietnam.
