the Vandelles – “The Vandelles EP” review

The Vandelles – “EP”
(Safranin Sound)

If the Ventures had ever backed Patsy Cline on “Walking After Midnight,” the result would have been something like the Vandelles’ EP. It’s surf-inspired, to be sure, but there’s a certain amount of country twang to Lisha’s vocals that brings Ms. Cline (to say nothing of Neko Case) to mind. The whole thing doesn’t sound so much spooky as it does dreamy – kind of like a My Bloody Valentine album. Listening to this EP is like drinking a bottle of cough syrup and taking a walk down the beach on a stormy summer’s night – yeah, it’s a bit of an unwieldy metaphor, but an apt one. If ever there were music to take some downers to, the Vandelles have created it here.

Swell to Heaven
Lovely Weather