Our minds are wonderful at filling in the blanks — whether
it’s missing vowels or creating the illusion of movement from a series
of stills. So throttling fuzz, rattling clatter and lo-fi buzz are
small impediments to appreciating the beauty within Times New Viking’s
noisy pop. While their prickly rumble isn’t for everyone, the Columbus
trio’s stature has grown with each of its three releases. Despite
promises of “25 percent higher fidelity,” their 30-minute, 15-track
follow-up to last year’s Rip It Off is a glorious, occasionally
dissonant mess, rescued by an unerring ear for simple hooks and
boundless enthusiasm in delivering them.
The best that can be said of their shouted boy/girl vocals is that
they’re mostly tuneful, any shortcomings made up in charming verve and
unassailable brevity — the worst moments are over quickly and the
best leave you clamoring for more. While the promised improved fidelity
is largely a mirage — it still sounds like they’re playing down
the hall from the microphones — the songs are more consistently
catchy and less shrouded in distortion. Highlights include the vaguely
mod “Something Moore,” the keyboard-driven “City on Drugs” and the
peppy “No Time, No Hope.” — Chris Parker
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2009.
