Viagra Boys : "viagr aboys"

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy once they get to "the Bog Body."There are some melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beat of "UNO II".  The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care on "Pyramid of Health," which carries a bit of a country twang.  It recalls some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. 

"Dirty Boyz" has a more Rolling Stones-like swagger. Midway into the song, it takes on a more manic electro groove that buzzes with orgiastic delight. "Medicine For Horses" finds them letting up on the rock intensity for more of an indie rock ballad. This is a noted shift in Sebastian Murphy's vocal style that finds him continuing to mature as a singer. While it works off a simple, sedate beat, it proves to be effective. "Water Boy' has a 90s Brit-pop like it could be a Blur song. 'Store Policy' brings more of a confrontational energy. The production begins to experiment and bring more sounds into the mix as the album progresses, taking them out of the realm of punk.  Once flutes arrive at the party, it's not punk is a good rule to follow. 

"You N33d Me" is lyrically crazy, though not the most dynamic moment of the album, as it settles into its noisy groove. "Best in Show Part IV" When a saxophone enters the chat, you know your song is turning into a jam. "River King" closes the album in a rather unexpected manner, as I would not have predicted a ballad. More brass colors the background, to give this a more hopeful feel than if they had taken a darker Tom Waits approach to things. Overall, this album continues to show growth and is a great deal of fun. I will give this album a 9.5. I have a feeling it will continue to grow on me with each listen.

 

pst193