Reviewed by Kit Burns
The Veins/The Price of Blood and Gold
To the Veins, it sounds as if rock & roll was dead by the mid-’90s; considering the garbage that has emanated since then, we can bless them for that. The Veins, not to be confused with any garage-rock revivalists with a “the” in front of their name, are hopelessly devoted to several generations of rock, from the ’60s British Invasion to ’90s grunge. You’ll find elements of them all in various tracks. For example, the first cut, “Subway Queen,” strikes with the thunderous jolt of prime ’70s Blue Oyster Cult, complete with Godzilla-sized guitar solos. “Buried,” on the other hand, is reminiscent of Alice in Chains’ descent into the abyss with reptilian riffs that’ll coil around your neck.
But, as I had just mentioned, the Veins aren’t about just one or two styles. “Superstar” is pure pop sweetness with crisp playing that is as melodic as any Bon Jovi hit single from the ’80s (and minus the cheese). “Bitter Wind” recalls the Beatles with its glowing melodies. The song titles (”Buried,” “Surfin’ on Gasoline,” “Blood and Gold,” “Lonely as a Gun”) and sleeve art (skulls, the American flag hidden in splashes of blood) seem to be a statement against the war in Iraq; however, I’ll leave it to you to find the political subtext in rock & roll this energetic and fun.
