4 out of 5

Label: Pitch-a-Tent

Produced by: Camper Van Beethoven, Various

On the axis of Camper Van Beethoven repurposing their slacker affectation and genre mishmashes into more contemplative (if still silly and odd) moods and more nuanced compositions, Vampire Can Mating Over is, by dint of being an EP, the first really focused example of that, with its tracks cycling through feel-good familiarity, and then stretching through edgier indie rock and a light new wave influence, all with generally more heartfelt lyrics than the average CVB tune of the time.

The album is bookended by the most accessible sounding tunes, with Heart and Ringo-cover Photograph playing into the klezmer folk which was the group’s establishing sound. On the B-side, a Box o’ Laffs track (a previous band of Campers David Lowery and Chris Molla), Ice Cream Every Day, fulfills some of II & III‘s / the self-titled album‘s more exploratory psychedelic fare, rounding out the EP’s overall sound so that it’s in line with what one might expect. And these are also great tracks! The out-and-out silliness of times’ passed is pretty much gone, so the cynical mirth hits in a less blunt way, or can be experienced through the hilarious liner notes on the back cover, which gives an extensive fictional background for every song.

Additionally, the other three songs on this set get to cut deeper, musically, plucking at the darker tones we’d hear on the forthcoming Revolutionary Sweetheart and, if this was one of your first CVB listens, really making the case that disaffection was not the de facto mood of the band – you were hearing a legit, fully formed experimental rock ensemble.

Of course, the various styles I’m mentioning does also give the set a sort of compilation feel. I honestly always thought this was a compilation, sort of half-mixing the liner notes with reality and assuming Vampire Can Mating Oven’s tunes were pulled from different times and places, hence a somewhat scattered vibe to the sequencing. Heck, even that title sounds like a cut-and-paste job.

These tunes were also included on Camper Vantiquities, which was where I originally heard them. I’d later own this EP as part of my collection, and, honestly, the tracks are much more solid when isolated like this, and would be my recommended way to listen to them.