Vulture Whale - Vulture Whale

Genre indie-rock Publisher Skybucket External Links Vulture Whale MySpace

The new Vulture Whale release doesn’t hit the sophomore slump that so many groups unfortunately fall into. With numerous references to late 1960s classic rock and a handful of other recent rock stalwarts, it’s easy to find familiarity with it. Lead singer Wes McDonald made a name for himself in the Southeast through his recording work with the Athens, Georgia band The Ohms and other small projects. Now he’s moved on to the more diverse scene of Birmingham, Alabama where he formed Vulture Whale out of what was initially Wes McDonald and the Fuzz. They released their first self-titled album a year ago, and are continuing with their brand of just-a-little gritty Southern rock.

The first track to really grab my attention was “Head Turner” – a kind of tribute to the cougar, or perhaps to the all-grown-up girl-next-doors of yesteryear. The lyric “you look as good as you did in the 80’s” is the tops, and has a bit of a Tom Petty flair to it. One thinks of all those hot actresses and models from the 80’s we all grew up watching and admiring, and then hearing the lines, “We could be Paul and Joanne/We could have our own dressing” just makes slight snarkiness turn a little bit sweeter. And at the end they invoke the name of Ted Turner… the reasoning is up to your interpretation.

The following track, “Guillotine,” sounds like what would happen if the Libertines were possessed by a quartet of good ole boys. Very raw, and very Southern. A bit of old style call-and-response in thick ‘Bama accents stresses the backwoods roots of the band. “What Do” is the kind of song that in another era would have elicited lofted lighters during the opening riff. It’s a song about the passage of time and growing up, and the organ riffs could hearken back to Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Again the members of Vulture Whale bring in their retro influences to their advantage.

The album is rough and raw, but that’s the nature of their music. It has that kind of an edge to it. Vulture Whale builds upon its influences in a pleasing manner that pays tribute and doesn’t totally imitate. Other tracks have the shadow of early R.E.M., or Neil Young, While their lyrics can be a little bizarre, they are nonetheless enjoyable. Given the gritty nature of the album and its retro rock styling, the new Vulture Whale would make an excellent road trip soundtrack.