The Villaineers – The Villain Years
The Villaineers – The Villain Years – EP Review
“We’re called The Villaineers.”
“Huh? What’s that? The Villain Years?”
“No. I said The VILLAINEERS.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said, The Villain Years!”
“Christ. NO! I said the…ugh…never mind.”
At least, that’s how I imagine the name of this EP got created…I have no definitive proof about that though, for the record, but it’s a fun theory I’ve been enjoying kickin’ around in my head as I’ve been listening to The Villaineers this week. It has been a hot minute or two since we last had them on our pages here at SBS…but I can promise you that’s about to change. Well…I mean…it already has – if you’re reading this review, that means I’m alive and well, but also that we’ll be posting up The Villaineers in a variety of ways throughout this month from showing their shiny new video on SBS Live This Week, to featuring their music on the SBS Podcast.
“Honestly,” I freakin’ love what I hear in this opening track! It’s like…if you were to somehow find a way to cross contaminate Spacehog with the Muppets, you’d end up with something like the first track on this EP, and believe me when I tell ya, that’s meant as the highest of compliments. How could you not love “Honestly?” Good gravyboat lighthouse y’all – this is a riot! Let’s be real here…the guitar-work is off-the-charts amazing, the lyricism is great, the vocals are stellar, and this entire song jams completely from start to finish. Like, if you want REAL honesty, I’ll give it to ya here…the moment I was finished listening to “Honestly,” the very first thing I did was go right back for another spin. Magnificent! I don’t think the Muppets comparison I’ve made is anything less than intentional on their part either if I’m being real with ya…you’ll hear The Villaineers sing “I’m feeling green” at one point, which could very well be a sly reference to their wonderful froggy host…and then right afterwards you’ll find the kind of backing vocals you’d find from the rest of our legendary felt-covered friends. Of course, there are other ways to take this opening track as well, which are actually much deeper and more political…which you’ll see in the video they’ve got put together for “Honestly” to give you a much clearer glimpse of what they really intended in making this song. So maybe I made more of a comparison by sound & style more-so than thematically…I said what I said, and I stand by my assessment. Who wouldn’t want to listen to a song that could simultaneously remind them of both The Muppets AND Spacehog at the same damn time, right? You might have to trust me for the moment until you have a minute to have a listen for yourselves, but I’m tellin’ ya…this absolutely works – “Honestly” & truly, this is a seriously great song, and they’ve played this quirky cut to perfection.
For real…this is music I’d listen to. I know that seems like somewhat of a given, because I tend to listen to just about everything in some capacity as a music journalist, but I’m talkin’ about outside of all that…like, as in, on my own precious personal time, you know what I mean? As I listened to “In The Shade,” I felt like The Villaineers were really nailin’ it for me. They’ve got that perfect mix of Indie Pop songwriting with a more gritty approach like you’d find in College Alt-Rock that was found underneath the surface in the Grunge era…bands like Seaweed, Superchunk, Pavement…stuff that you’d find on the Clerks Soundtrack or DGC Rarities Vol. 1…that kind of vibe. Incidentally, DGC Rarities never got a Vol. 2, and that’s a fucking crime, but that’s a story for another time. In any event, I think you get an idea of what you can expect from a track like “In The Shade” if you have can make sense out of the frame of reference I’m giving ya. Rest assured I’m as happy as a clam with anything that’ll remind me of that era of music, so yep, this EP is gettin’ a BIG thumbs up from me so far. I don’t know which of their three guitarists is the better of’em all…but I can confirm there are NO WEAK POINTS in the musicianship you’ll find in this band. As to whether or not you’re hearing the awesomeness of Peter Lavery, John D’Aloia, or Jeremy James when it comes to the guitars, or all of them at the same time…well…some things in life will remain a mystery whether we like it or not. Their rhythm section is as steady as it gets as well, and equally badass – shout-outs are deserved for Katy Westfall on the bass and for Mike Lerch on the drums.
“Twister” has its own deal goin’ on, and even though I suppose it could be argued that it’s a little less of my thing than the opening two tracks are, I don’t want anyone to confuse that with me not still being satisfied with it, because I am. It grew on me quickly, that much I can confirm. You’ll get it when you have a listen to this record for yourself…you’ll hear that it still fits into this lineup, but it’s right there on the fringe, and it’s a bit of an adjustment from what you had just experienced beforehand in the EP’s opening two tracks. “Twister” is intended to be a more blue-collar type of tune if I’m not mistaken, with a rural & earthy vibe to it, but with a noticeably different design to it as well…somewhere in between the artful Alt-Pop sound of Sparklehorse combined with the down-to-earth bar-Rock sound you’d find in early music by The Tragically Hip. Look…I may or may not ever really get close to what an artist or band is on about when it comes to the main theme or subject of a song – all I’ve got is theories…all any of us that are outside of the creative process has are theories when it comes right down to it…but I’m feelin’ like I’m gettin’ fairly close. I mean, it’s obviously about an actual storm and “Twister” of course, but you get what I mean…things can also be about different things too y’all, and this is as good of an example of that as anything else is I suppose. In any event, I think that Jer has laced in some brilliant lyrical imagery into “Twister,” and sings it with a dangerous live-wire energy that’s quite addictive to listen to. The guitarists don’t exactly take this track off, but they’re not in the center of the spotlight as much here…this track is really built more on the kickassness of Katy & Mike, and if I’m not mistaken, Jer’s also got some mandolin buried deep in this track as well. Between all that stuff combined, they’re just a hair short of dipping themselves into full-on Blues-Rock here, but it’s got a much more dusty vibe to it than you’d usually tend to find in that genre. With Jer’s gripping storyteller lyricism & dynamic vocals, ”Twister” will get you onboard for sure, even while it shifts the sound of the EP. It’s as loose as it is tight, and it’s vivid to the point where you can practically see it as you listen to it.
Where The Villaineers are succeeding wildly, is in the production…it audibly rivals the strength of the material and their performances, providing an experience that has stellar texture and tone to it all the way through. I like the slightly edgy distortion that Jer uses on his voice as he sings…I think that’s an excellent choice, and it works track after track. “Bougainvillea” is another song where you’ll find him using that to his advantage as he sings, and it creates a sonically enticing sound that you can’t help but pay close attention to. I will tell it to ya as straight as I always do – “Bougainvillea” has got the biggest uphill battle ahead of it when it comes to your affections as you listen to the songs on this EP. That doesn’t make it a bad song by any stretch of the imagination – in fact, I think there’s a great argument to be made that it’s actually one of the most well-crafted songs you’ll find on the record. That being said, well-crafted doesn’t always translate to accessibility…and in this specific case, I suspect that’s true. “Bougainvillea” is the deep cut on The Villain Years, and likely going to take a spin or two in order to catch on in comparison to the rest of the set. You factor in that it’s the longest track on the EP at just over five-minutes in length, and you get where this is going – it’s a tougher sell to the masses…that’s simply objective reality and nothing more. Should you listen to it? Fuck yes. I mean, c’mon…that spot around the 3:10 mark is worth the price of admission on its own, never mind all the rest of what works in this song that comes along with it. I dig the use of keys from Peter in this tune…they enhance what you’ll hear, though admittedly, there are parts in there that seem like they’re a bit of a strange fit too. However, as a whole, I feel like “Bougainvillea” ends up being the track that has the most room to grow on ya as you continue to listen to this EP…it won’t immediately snag ya like the opening three tracks do, but you’ll recognize that it’s got something the others don’t as well. A lot of that ‘something’ is found at the core of the songwriting & craftsmanship within this track…by a few spins, you’ll be convinced that it earns its place inside this lineup of songs & it ends up being one of the cuts that keeps you coming back.
You wanna know just how damn good “Honestly” IS? Lemme put it to ya this way…The Villaineers have done their level best to mess this track up as much as they possibly could on the version you’ll find at the end of the record, and I STILL love it. The fact that they’ve taken this politically-tinted tune and given it a label of being the “Alternate Fax Remix” only makes me love it MORE. Do I love it as much as I love the original version? That’s probably a bit of a stretch…and I ain’t willing to go quite that far – BUT – I will certainly vouch for this remixed version as being well worth your time…especially if you like your tunes a little off the beaten path, you feel me? I’ve always been proud to embrace the oddities out there, and clearly The Villaineers were more than happy to provide us with somethin’ that fits that definition with the “Honestly (Alternate Fax Remix)” at the end of their latest EP. It made me smile, this much I can tell ya. There’s so much swagger and personality in this track to begin with, that no matter what they did as they chopped this up & screwed it back together, it still can’t be denied…it’s not only catchy, it’s borderline ridiculously addictive. Do I expect everyone out there to dig this version as much as I do? Not really. But that’s on you for being too much of a square if you don’t, not me. Loosen up, and have some fun – The Villaineers clearly did, that’s how a track like this last one gets made! The original version is fully loaded with single-worthy sound…and this remixed version boldly takes what was one of the easiest songs to dig in 2024, and shatters it into a kaleidoscopic vibe that’ll trip you right the fuck out. If you wanna fight me on there being value in that, be prepared to square up homie, cause I’m ready and willing to throw down on some knuckle sandwiches anytime – I seriously hope you’re hungry.
Overall, The Villain Years really reminded me of how much I love The Villaineers. I’m 100% stoked that they’re back in action and back on our pages where they belong. There ain’t a bad track to be found on this EP…they haven’t lost a single step, and in fact, might even have me convinced of their awesomeness more than I already was before. Stoked to hear them thriving as they are – this EP is hella entertaining.
Like I was tellin’ ya earlier – you’ll find this band all over our pages throughout the month. You’ll see videos, you’ll hear songs…and I’m sure I’ll have even MORE to say about’em than I already have. You’ll be the first to know when it all goes down if you stay glued to our pages in November, but in the meantime, make sure to check out The Villaineers by visiting their official page at Apple Music here: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-villaineers/1435821759
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