Velcro Stars, Hiroshima's Revenge

by Allison Carter
10/05/2007

Murphreesboro, Tenn., the hometown of Velcro Stars, is about two hours away from Chattanooga, Tenn. The closeness of the two places perfectly explains the musical sound I heard on Velcro Stars’ album Hiroshima’s Revenge.

I grew up around Chattanooga, and while in high school I remember trying to find a place where I could listen to music that wasn’t mainstream. In my search for new music I made a few friends from my high school that called their band something about sharks. When I first listened to Velcro Stars, I was immediately reminded of my high school search for music.

Each time I listen to Hiroshima’s Revenge, my first thoughts are, “Do I really have to listen to this?” The voice is a little whiney to begin with, but it gets better, so don’t be turned off to the album based on its first few tracks.

Instrumentation is quite simple throughout Hiroshima’s Revenge, but this does not detract from the good feeling almost every song emits. The addition of female vocals nicely splits up the album. This addition gives the listener a break from the same voice heard throughout a lot of the album.

The first song to catch my ear was “B-side of Love.” Like I said, if you are turned off by the first few tracks' vocals, you are missing out on some good songs. "B-side" has a very simple beat accompanied by guitar and whaling vocals.

The female vocals I liked so much really shine through in “Pretense.” She is declaring that she isn’t going to change to make people believe she is someone else. I think it is a step up from many female vocalist’s songs because the vocals are uncompromising, rather than purely ornamental.

“Another Winter” is a song that caught my attention immediately. The song begins by combining an organ with guitar. From the first notes, I became captivated by the originality of using an organ. This unique combination of organ and guitar gives the song life that few others on the album can own up to.

Other notable songs are “Cinnamon Jews” and “Distraction.” “Distraction” is the only song on the whole album that shows any sign of aggressive behavior. In my final listen to the album it quickly rose above the others to become my favorite. The vocals reach an all time high when the singer screams, “I knnnooooooooooow!" Guitars assist in the dizzying feeling achieved as a result of all the chaos the song creates compared to other songs on the album. I think that this is a good role for the Velcro Stars. They should have tried it in other songs.

By the end of my third listen to the album, I caught myself singing (or at least wanting to sing) along to more than a few songs. They get praise for successfully getting the listener involved with the song by using catchy tunes. Not to mention that most every song is about a love gone wrong or a hopeful adventure in love, which, let's face it, is a topic everyone knows a little about.

Velcro Stars are very similar to all of the music scene where I grew up, but far surpass the musical quality of high school bands. Even though getting interested in the band takes a couple of listens they successfully make songs that will get stuck in your head all day. And the songs have their own flair which distinguishes them from other artists. If you’ve got the time, be sure to pick up this album because on November 2 they are playing at the Caledonia Lounge with Cars Can Be Blue and The Lolligags.