Wampire
Curiosity
Polyvinyl Records – May 14th 2013
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | HMV Digital
7.7
One thing’s for sure, Wampire are trendsetters – weird dudes who are undoubtedly too cool for the cool kids because they don’t need to lift a finger to be cool. Instead they get to lose themselves in a haze of creativity and make a statement with an album that could easily soundtrack MediEvil or rack up enough Best New Music tags to get them their own lo-fi pedal. Curiosity’s split personality is what prevents Wampire from choking on mediocrity, and at the same time, it gives their songs volume, resulting in a feeding frenzy of low-key guitar burns (“Trains”) and retro-fitted colour (“I Can’t See Why”). As Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps will tell you, they’re in love with synths and that romanticism is what tones down the lulz and inflates the soul that detailed their self-titled for a Portland label in 2009. The pop instrument knifes open the psych trip “Snacks”, creeps up your neck on “Spirit Forest” and makes the hang loose rhythms on “Giants” roll like they’re meant to be blasted from a rooftop in the middle of summer – multiple air guitars in tow. It’s diabolical and reckless, making Curiosity an LP that should be unravelled lick by lick.
Listen: “The Hearse”, “Giants”, “Spirit Forest” || Watch: “Trains”