Abe Vigoda
Skeleton (Post Present Medium)
By Saskia Lacey
Published: July 10th, 2008 | 9:00am
God bless the Smell, the all-ages venue responsible for the birth of tropical punk. Located in the bewitching wasteland that is downtown L.A., the venue has been the home base for future punk greats No Age, Health, and Abe Vigoda — a Chino-based four-piece punk band with a tropical twist. Their sound is unique: fuzzy like My Bloody Valentine, rough around the edges like Black Lips, and — on tracks like the upbeat “Garden” — brightly poppy like Vampire Weekend. Skeleton is technically the band’s third album, but the “first proper full-length” according to their website. Either way, Skeleton is a scorcher.
Reggie Guerrero was not Abe Vigoda’s first drummer. In fact, Guerrero was recruited despite the fact that he didn’t know how to play the drums; the band's sound had to change in order to accommodate his elementary drumming abilities. The result is a wonder to behold. Skeleton kicks off with the joyful “Dead City/ Waste Wilderness,” a track whose jangly guitars and yelpy vocals can almost be described as clean-cut tropical pop. It remains to be seen whether or not the song is an ode to their fair L.A. The album keeps up its momentum with the frenetic “Animal Ghosts,” an exuberant number with playful lyrics. Towards the end of Skeleton, Abe Vigoda changes the tempo with the slow-burning “Visi Rings.”
Skeleton successfully shows off the band’s versatility; they can do creepy (see “Whatever Forever”), or they can be achingly nostalgic, as on the title track. Thankfully, after a long tenure as a “Smell band,” Abe Vigoda will be bringing their glorious tropical-punk message to the rest of the states.
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Abe Vigoda's MySpace page
Issue #35
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