4 out of 5

Label: Jade Tree

Produced by: Ted Niceley

With Venus Luxure No. 1, GVSB kicked off an indelible legacy of detached, slinky, gutsy cool.  Indelible.  The sound hung over them thereafter, as they embraced it (Cruise Yourself) and Disco-ed it (House of GVSB), with a positive response suggesting this was growth when – and this is coming from a fan – the albums never hit the same sense of wow as Venus.  GVSB had established their crunch on their debut, Nineties vs. Eighties, but it was that first Touch and Go disc that felt like it was both encapsulated and defined the then-Chicago scene.  I feel like they actually tried to do something a little different, musically, with Freak*On*Ica, also maturing to different lyrical themes by flipping their cynicism to looking-back jadedness, but I’m one of only like ten people who actually liked that album.  The change in style plus jumping to a major label did not help their profile amongst their fans.

Four year later, we get the proclaimed return of the classic GVSB sound.  They’re back on an indie – Jade Tree, which is sort of an odd fit – and they’re back with producer Ted Niceley.  And the extremely good news is that that arrangement works damned wonders.  The album buzzes with energy from end to end; the players are at their sharpest ever, the compositions incredibly tight and all instantly, head-bobby sexy cool, and Niceley’s work here cuts just as deep as that opening drum on Venus Luxure.  To which, musically, this disc favorably compares: there are tracks on par with hard hitters like Rockets Are Red and Seven Seas, and even You Can’t Fight closer Let It Breathe matches the surprisingly moody and emotional Bug House from Luxure with its own patient build-up.  Yes: The band was back, and it was legit.

On the not so great side: The lyrics are a bit shit.  Some moments work, but there’s mostly an embarrassing old fogey sensibility to all of Scott McCloud’s oohs and ahhs, as he tries to refigure the fame exhaustion of Freak*On*Ica into something that matches the amped up vibe of this Jade Tree disc while still sounding ‘relevant.’  So we get a song named BFF, and a lot of cringe-inducing lines are said/sung.  But, I mean, they pull it off.  And in general, you’re too busy bobbing your head to care.

Followup EP Ghost List would improve on this mix – better lyrics, some more experimentation – perhaps having proven their never-lost-’em chops here.  But I would by no means skip this disc.  Even with the lyrical gaffes, it’s a dern tootin’ blast, and the best tribute / followup to Venus Luxure that they made.