Vice on Victory – Glitter & Gold

vc132Artist: Vice on Victory
Album: Glitter & Gold
Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Standby

I, as am sure all music journalists do, have a tendency to go easy on bands from my area [this being Ohio/Michigan], but there are limits. I’ve gone through brutal punk [Hellmouth] and everything else under the sun in these two states, but the time has come to put a foot down. Vice on Victory, a female fronted pop rock outfit from Columbus, Ohio may have 5.5 millions plays on Myspace, but their new album, Glitter and Gold isn’t worth 5.5 minutes of any person with taste’s time.

Normally, I would tear apart nearly every track with some commentary about things done right and wrong, but if I put myself through this record once more for that purpose, I may need to quit doing UTG due to loss of hearing from ear infections. Starting with the quickly ruined, “Straight Jacket Surgery,” these glammed out kids from the Midwest roll in obviously attempting to rip off Paramore’s signature sound, but with a weak female vocalist and poor song structure. It’s not catchy, it’s annoying Later, on, “Sidelines,” which borrows a bit heavily from New Found Glory’s older records except now they’re brought with extra synth, has some of the most immature, woe is me, middle school era lyrics I’ve heard since Dot Dot Curve. “Ivy,” an interlude that occurs four tracks in [is that necessary?], is the most remarkable piece on the album and it’s nothing more than repetitive 2 bar guitar work and atmospheric sounds mixed with drums.

There are moments whent he band tries to get heavy, such as one, “Hearts Like These,” but they faulter quite early on. However, by track eight, “Hit The Ground,” it became clear that the main problem lies in the singwriting and extremely agitating vocals of Dany. Her voice rarely matches the sound of any track and I would highly question her ability to carry any tune without the help of machines becuase even on this well produced record, it sounds weary. The band does try to salvage this wreckage with the closer, “This Way,” which, granted, has solid music, but it’s too little too late.

Between Dot Dot Curve and this, I’m starting to lose a bit of faith in the A&R team of Standby Records. When will labels realize that Myspace plays do not reflect talent and/or possible sales? Vice on Victory’s Glitter and Gold has just thrown it’s name, in HUGE PRINT, into our list of contenders for worst record of 2009. …Congrats?

Score: 1.5/10 [all owed to the music and production]

James Shotwell
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