V Day has finally arrived...

The debut album from Sydney's Van She has finally hit the shelves. This does feel a little strange to say as they have been playing some pretty solid gigs for quite a while and brought out a well received EP in 2005. I think it feels even stranger because Modular popped out the first single of the album Cat and The Eye in late 2007, and then the second one Strangers earlier this year. All of this means that although there has been a steady build up to the release of V three or four of the tracks are already pretty familiar to us before we even hear the album. Meh, this is not unusual for a debut album and I say we have eight other tracks to get excited about.

V has a really nice laid back vibe to it, and although cliche it may be-it really is the perfect Summer afternoon CD. The tracks we've already heard sit nicely amongst the fresh stuff, though I must say that the bands bread and butter Kelly feels a little like its lost its magic since the more raw demo days with a different creepy electro intro. Of the new tracks Memory Man provides a slowly building introduction with the almost haunting vocals of Nicky Routledge and is definitely a stand out.So High is very very catchy but for some reason I always think of Getting Better All the Time whenever I hear it. The band has always been said to have a strong 80s vibe and this has remained. As has an almost perfect blend of electronic, pop and rock sounds which changes both within each track and across the whole album.

In this day and age, you would think that record labels would be doing everything they can to encourage physical CD sales and deter people away from the horrible illegal download. I reckon that a great deal of this would be about making the album art appealing and interesting which would encourage the consumer to want to hold it their hands, put it in their collection and show their grandchildren in 20 years. V makes me want to do none of these, and in fact I almost didn't buy it when I saw a picture that belongs on a 12 year olds Myspace gracing the front cover. I understand that this V licking pose has become a sort of unofficial motto for the band, but it represents a much cheezier and immature sound than the sophisticated and relaxed tracks on the album. Obviously this says a lot about the target market of their listeners, but I do think Van She are selling themselves far too short.

Van She-Changes

Buy V from Modular