Pitchfork

Tom Vek must have been beaten by lead guitar lines as a kid-- he avoids them like a sore subject. And that's perfect, because it gives me something to talk about. He wants to call himself "raw garage rock energy," go ahead. Nobody's exactly guarding the doors to the genre these days, but Mr. Vek managed to slip in without the one fuck-all must-have accessory. No, not a Blackberry-- I'm talking hammy riffs.

Now, lead bass lines, there's another story. Matter fact, Mr. Vek is not averse to melody-- quite the contrary-- just the melodious thunks come from unexpected sources. Opener "C-C (You Set the Fire in Me)" (which is opposite how the titular chorus is actually delivered) locks the high school funk jammers in the garage and positions the four-track at or around the local gas station. Safely distanced, we catch tinny drums and wormy bass-- all we need, thanks.

The bulk of We Have Sound's 10 tracks are as described. Mr. Vek stands interestingly aloof from his backing band (himself), sprinkling on yawning synth swells and, yawn, reverbed vocals. Some will hear the prominent rhythms and levy him with Gang of Four-ish comparisons, but I'm hearing more Hanson. Must be the locks. Actually, a song like "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" (single) would be a radio smash if a) Mr. Vek had a Blackberry, and b) he used it to contact Sony. Instead, he'll have to settle for heavy rotation on my iTunes playlist marked "Radio", next to Dangerdoom and "Konichiwa Bitches".

And, ya know, bias aside, that ain't such a bad place for a 24-year-old London beau whose name isn't Kano. Remove the begging-to-be-DFA-remixed "If You Want" and the blatant Talking Heads rip "Nothing But Green Lights", Mr. Vek has himself a solid, solid record here. Of those two songs I just zinged, the latter one actually isn't bad. So-- droll sung/spoken vox, chirruping synth loop, mind-numbing repetition-- it carbon copies "Once in a Lifetime". Try writing a song that doesn't! I only wish that Mr. Vek, when he isn't plagiarizing or talking about cars (all the time), would ditch the blasé monotone and work his falsetto. When Venn diagraming standout "I Ain't Saying Goodbyes" and the déclassé "Cover", a simple neck crane seems, indeed, the missing ingredient.

With a penchant for sloppy dance beats and an ear for sonic minutiae, Tom Vek unites skill sets as antipodal as Rapture and Elvrum. But considering one cannot legally, conscientiously or sincerely enjoy indie rock anymore, We Have Sound puts me in an awkward spot.

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