Review by Karen Anderson
As I pop in The Vue’s new EP Babies are for Petting I have no idea what to expect. Then one by one the instruments start playing in the first song, “Look Out For Traffic,” and I’m thinking this is going to be good; already I'm tapping my feet. But then I hear the voice of singer Rex Shelverton and I’m not so sure.
Other
than the fact that Rex doesn’t have much vocal range, his voice
sounds at times like the scratching of a chalkboard in my ear. Thankfully
this is not consistent throughout the album. In songs like “Hey
Hey Not In Here” and “Find Your Home” his voice has
a rough quality that really makes the song complete.
“Find Your Home” (which is my favorite track) is a nice break
from the rest of the album. It starts off with the bass quickly followed
by a harmonica. The beat in this song is a lot slower than the others
and, since it was recorded live, has an echo-y sound to it that makes
you feel like you're in a dark, smoky little bar. There is also the sound
of a rattlesnake at the end, which adds to the atmosphere. This song definitely
has some blues influence and kind of reminds me of The Doors.
The songs on Babies are for Petting are lyrically very simple
and don't really make much sense. But I don’t mind since the point
of this CD doesn’t seem to be to make you think. It’s all
about catchy tunes and having fun. The Vue has a unique sound that combines
punk, psychedelia, blues and bits of pop. I can't wait to hear the full
length album.