THE VAPORS
‘TOGETHER’
(Absolute Label Services)
8.5/10
Watch The Vapors ‘Crazy’ single above.
Everyone on the planet knows The Vapors huge ‘Turning Japanese’ single from 1980, yep four decades ago… ‘Together’ is the band’s third album and their first for thirty-nine years and it’s an absolute corker. Opening and title track ‘Together’ has a beautiful Kinks twist mixed with some timeless Vapors post-punk pop fizz. The refreshing rather than rehashing is continued on the upbeat ‘Crazy’ which has early eighties wheelspin riff and an enveloping yet punchy chorus as Dave Fenton’s vocals are naturally stretched without being snapped. ‘Sundown River’ motors with a Midnight Oil diesel ‘n’ dust flow and some tip-top looking back lyrics before ‘Real Time’ lightly chugs down old river time. ‘Girl From The Factory’ is another delicate yet disarming cut as the album whizzes by and I find myself hitting repeat time and time again. An explosion of Brit Pop riffage is unleashed on the ‘I Don’t Remember’ as memory banks are strained and before you can fully aurally digest ‘In Babylon’ takes the New Wave baton and runs. ‘Wonderland’ shimmies through Alice’s tea party armed with a sentimental water pistol while ‘Those Years’ is a raw, break-up, makeup ditty of sorrow of pain. The final duo of an R’N’R ‘King L’ and a morose ‘Nuclear Nights’ complete this strangely emotive release. You can’t turn back the clock but you can rewind the tape and The Vapors have filled my head, heart and smiling soul with tangible sounds from a simpler ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’ time.
