Customer Reviews

Take A Vacation! (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ryan Ross and Jon Walker continue their musical evolution in this energetic, boppy, classy release. Because of their Panic at the Disco past, "Take a Vacation!" won't be able to escape comparison with "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" and "Pretty. Odd.", but the clean, 1960s sound certainly doesn't invite such comparisons. The Young Veins bring back an old model: hot-potato frontmen, deceptively simplistic melodies, and consistency across the entire album. It would be easy to dismiss "Take a Vacation!" as a clever imitation of their inspirations, but followers of Ross and Walker will recognize the unmistakable personal touches they have come to love. Those deceptively simple melodies are offset by the same sort of deeply beautiful lyrics as "Pretty. Odd." The vocals are obviously diverse--no single singer here. But the overall effect of the album is shockingly cohesive, which makes choosing a favorite an exercise in detail-oriented listening.

"Take a Vacation!" may be the first (of hopefully many) from The Young Veins, but these musicians brought many years of combined experience to the album, and it shows. I can't wait to see where the road takes them. Until then, I'll settle for listening to "Take a Vacation!" on repeat.

What a killer rock album right when I really needed it. The Young Veins give their own spin on almost-familiar psychedelic/garage punk yummies with vintage echoes, fuzzes and un-nameables on keyboards and guitars that can hit you like "Psychotic Reaction" did on first listen.

I bought this along with Neil Young's amazing Trans. With this, the Veins and my monthly Classic Rock CD compilation on the multiplayer, I had a Colorado medicine kind of evening.

It's interesting that "Take a Vacation" and "Release Me" from The Like came out at about the same time. The Young Veins have really captured the spirit of the era and made decade perfect songs on the record. Instantly recognizable, yet fresh enough to keep you engaged.

As much as I love this album I wonder where The Young Veins can go from here? Another 60's invasion hommage would be redundant, and moving on to the psychedelic era would be predictable. Big Band swing music?

This was a great CD. Just vocals and guitars and tamborines. Very early 60's sound. Love it.

I don't know how to say this without sounding like i don't like the band, but here's a try...
1. Short, catchy songs- check
2. Total album under 30 minutes- check
3. twangy, mid 60's era guitar and occasional organ- check
4. mid 60's color scheme on cover- check
5. song titles listed at top of cover- check
6. photos of band in mid 60's garb- check
7. songs of love or love broken- check

So, basically, the Young Veins have their bases covered as they present a shameless recreation of 1965 sounding pop a la Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders or the Hollies. It may sound like I don't enjoy their album "Take A Vacation!" or that I don't respect them. Neither is the case. I like the album, I like the idea of bringing this sound back- as a matter of fact, this record was added to a small but growing collection of mine that currently includes the similarly minded La's, the Like and best of all, the Greenhornes.
However, something about this record kept me from giving it 5 stars and that is this; when listening to this record, one gets the feeling that the record company execs are now taking groups and imposing upon them this image and this sound. It is like they are sensing a thirst for it and are telling young musicians that if they listen to and replicate bands from the british invasion (and american competitors) in every way possible that they are guaranteed success. Obviously, bands like The Young Veins and the Like are not going to be selling out huge stadiums and they may very well not be interested to. But at the same time, there is a certain 'packaged' feel that comes with both groups and it makes them a bit suspect- as if money and sales is first and whatever music it takes to get there is secondary.
I'm no fool- clearly, everything is packaged these days and it's not just in the music scene. Everyone is selling something and if you look hard enough, you'll figure out what. I guess the difference is with some, it is more subtle and with others (like the Young Veins) it is almost embarassingly clear.
The songs are short and sweet, yes- true to the songs of the 60's. The thing is some of them actually sound like they shouldn't be (The Other Girl is one such song that comes to mind). As a songwriter, I believe in letting a song tell you where it needs or wants to go and at times this album seems like it wanted to be longer but that there was an agreement made prior to writing that it would remain under 30 minutes regardless of what the writing dictated.
The photos of the band on the cover are so beatle-esque circa HELP! that it is just odd. I almost feel badly for the band because it just seems like their moves are dictated to the point of sacrificing whatever identity may be theirs. Are the band members on board with this sales pitch or are they just going along with it to sell records? Something just doesn't feel genuine (which is why I like the Greenhornes so much- when listening to them one gets the feeling they have the same appreciation and respect for the music of the 60's but they haven't gone so overboard with the gimicky stuff that you don't know who the Greenhornes really are).
So with all that said, this album does have some nice chord changes under some catchy (and yes, deceptively simple as another reviewer mentioned) melodies (listen to the title track for an example). It also has consistency in sound and for the most part quality, though I think it should've stopped at track 10 as track 11 is the weakest. There is a song (Lie to the Truth) which has a time signature change, going from 4/4 in the verse to 3/4 at the chorus. That is pretty rare in music these days and is commendable.
These guys clearly have musical abilities and aspirations. They make their case as a retro group strongly to many I'm sure. I myself will continue to enjoy the album. However, I will of course pick my Hollies, Mindbenders, Beatles, Kinks discs over this new wave of artists because as much as people enjoy looking back, you can never recreate things like the British Invasion. Something like that is special because it needed to happen when it did and it happened out of a genuine desire and need. It was authentic and urgent- a response to what was happening musically in the country. Groups like the Young Veins have the right look, maybe the right instruments, the right album length, the right sound, but not the right era. Seeing what their sophomore release is like will be very telling. Do they continue this sound out of a love and need to delve deeper into it? Or do they, as another reviewer suggested try to bring back some other sound and repackage themselves?

This by far the only CD in a collection of 300 owned which can be listened to on All Disc Repeat (lol). You've got to be into the scene to appreciate how special this is. However, if not, you just might chose to be into it after listening to this style of music as the Young Veins have composed it. Went looking at their website to see when their next release is coming. Unfortuneately, with this one just coming last in June, gee will it be soooo long before the next one does. Hope they don't try to re-create themselves---was only 29 minutes long, so sure they could craft another 10-11 songs and retain the retro-vibe without spoiling it.