Link: The Vacation’s Homepage and The Vacation’s MySpace Page.
The Inside Pulse: From the LA rock and roll scene, which has given birth to such myriad groups from Guns n Roses to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, comes The Vacation. Headed by brothers Ben and Steve Tegel, The Vacation put you in mind of a grimy bar band playing punk and glam infused rock and roll, the raunchier the better. After gaining some positive press with their release Band From World War Zero, The Vacation was snapped up by über-producer Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label. Now, the band’s releasing their major label debut album, the eponymously titled The Vacation. Are The Vacation yet another positive sign of an American rock renaissance?
Positives: The Vacation play straight ahead, good old-fashioned grimy rock and roll and don’t apologize for it. They’re not trying to cure AIDS or save the manatee. They’re just making a soundtrack for sex. And they do an excellent job, with tracks like “Cherry Cola” and “Destitute Prostitutes” that celebrate their rock lifestyles. Lead singer Ben Tegel sneers his way through the songs like a young Iggy Pop or Ray Davies, while his bandmates create the sort of grimy, seedy aural backdrop that LA bands have long been famous for. You half expect to hear a Vacations song playing during a stripper’s set at the local topless club, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Negatives: This is basically Band From World War Zero released under a new label and new title, so if you have the first album there’s absolutely no reason to get this one.
Cross-breed: The Stooges meet T-Rex meet The Kinks.
Reason to buy: Because straight ahead rock and roll is becoming an increasingly rare commodity these days, so anytime a band comes along that’s celebrating the art form and doing it well, you should snap them up.
