The Kitchen/Radio Vago: 7"
Solution Records no 6. 2002
http://www.solutionrecords.com
http://www.radiovago.com
Mmmmm…Vago, Radio Vago. This phrase has been slipping off the lips of everyone in town who has seen this LA group of gals like they're under some sort of spell. I'm going to dis The Kitchen on this review, because the one song they had on the A-side of the record didn't interest me all that much and well,
I love Radio Vago.
I was first introduced to the rough-in-tumble sounds of Radio Vago at The Echo one lazy Saturday afternoon during an Iggy Pop tribute festival. They performed a masterful cover of The Passenger, tweaking it just enough to make it their own. The only other ensemble whose been able to pull that one off is Siouxsie And The Banshees. Radio Vago's music is a combination of fuzzy guitar riffs and jelly-smooth synths matched up to a rhythm section that yanks you through the melodies like some powerful unseen force. Adrienne hisses her way through each song like some angry cat stalking you in the dark, swatting at your face, and nipping you on the neck- hard enough to draw blood, but not kill you.
The 7" itself is a quick and somewhat
over-produced journey through the Radio Vago experience. 'Blood On My Hands'
is a haunting serenade that paints a sinister dream-like picture of a serial
killers fantasy world. The social politics are even thicker in 'Mail Order
Bride" which could easily be a chirpy dance number, if not for its serious
message. These two tracks are great examples of the musical drama that will
draw you into the dark, synth driven rhythms and leave you disoriented.
-John Southern