Vermouth
Retrofuture Pop Exotica
Vermouth have the look, sound and feel of a band Quentin Tarantino would use for a noir spy or detective film. Loungey and restrained, they bring background music to the foreground with their own unique underground cabaret.
Playing it straight on “Curious,” and “Blue Sky,” the band digs deep and delivers two stunningly beautiful songs. “Curious” with it’s fun wordplay, “We are sublime/We can see/We comprehend/Chemically.” And “Blue Sky” with its sexy and slow reveal.
“Pretending” is a motivated rocker, the only one on the disc, and the band sounds something akin to Garbage crossed with The Donnas. “Go Go Dancer is an upbeat, faux disco number and feels slightly out of place, or at least out of sync wit the rest of the disc.
And now, we arrive at the place where the disc gets odd. “Goggle Boy” and “Over the Counter” both sound and feel like inside jokes we’re not quite privy to hearing the punchline to.
“Costa Rica” and “Gretchen the Iguana” both qualify as quirky and strange; but reveal a possible fascination with the green and oft domesticated reptile. I’m not sure I have what it takes to discern a deeper meaning behind the correlation.
The music and imagery of Retrofuture Pop Exotica is wholly memorable, and this alone makes Vermouth noteworthy. For a more mainstream appeal they will either need to produce more songs like “Curious.” Or eventually turn up in a Tarantino film.