Varied in sound, from classic VICE SQUAD to SUZIE QUATRO to punk lounge music to PAULINE MURRAY-esque material. Some songs are totally great, with neat choruses and subtle touches upon pounding rhythms, and others are doggie-doo. Better than not, overall, and sometimes it’s pretty funny.
Their cover of SWEET’s “Teenage Rampage” is a tiresome retread of ’70s rock I’d just as soon forget (is it meant as a joke?). The flip, however, is more in keeping with VICE SQUAD’s typically polished punk sound. Release by release, this band is sounding increasingly like LIGOTAGE (Beki’s band). Coincidence?
Beki Bondage may adopt any pose in her efforts to become a rock star, but there’s no denying that the new VICE SQUAD single is an excellent one. In fact, it’s their best release since their first two EPs. “Black Sheep” is a melodic mid-tempo number that’s right up Jack Rabid’s alley; the flip is a more rhythmic cut with haunting Gregorian-style background chants.
Some feel that VICE SQUAD is falling into the morass of contemporary post-punk. Not quite yet. Stand Strong Stand Proud, despite several throwaway numbers, clashes with social malignancies like vivisection (“Humane”), political passivism (“Freedom Begins at Home”), and the steady erosion of punk values (“Out of Reach”) with power and complete credibility. In addition, Beki’s point of view provides a welcome contrast to the typical male-dominance in modern-day hardcore. Highly recommended.
A band that’s really deteriorated since their first two EPs. This new one, though not as bad as its immediate predecessor, barely halts the downward spiral. Beki seems bent on taking the same route as Siouxie, and the band appears content to follow lamely along. Only “Tomorrow’s Soldier” packs a real wallop because of its straightforward nature and louder guitars.
