Past Away by Vietnam

Vietnam started out in Atlanta in 1980, at a time when smaller, neighboring city Athens was the music city of that decade. Bands such as R.E.M., The B-52s, Pylon and Love Tractor were tearing up the clubs and getting much love from college radio. Vietnam played the same clubs and got a lot of the same type of praise that was bestowed upon the aforementioned acts, but they never cut an album. Jump ahead 25 years, and we finally have the band’s debut release. The 12 songs on Past Away were all written in 1980-81, and although recorded recently, the quirky nature of that time is alive and well on this disc. Whereas most of the bands of the 1980s New South were guitar/bass/drum configurations, Vietnam featured moog and saxophone, which leads one to wonder if they were too alternative for the burgeoning alternative nation. Lyrically, the songs are direct and almost in your face. In the song “Teeth,” Stan Satin sings “...man is attracted to the woman / and at the same time repelled.” A menacing vocal is accompanied by a musical backdrop that wouldn’t be out of place on a Jane’s Addiction album, furthering the notion that these guys may have been too advanced for their time. “Bobby Jameson” is the disgruntled uncle of “Rock Lobster,” at least in its musical layout — a beat to shake your stuff to and a synth track with enough cheese to put Burger King to shame. If you’ve got a party coming up, put on the track “It Don’t Work.” Its fantastic playing and sense of fun will satisfy the music snobs as well as the folks who just want to dance. The spacey rock of “Charge” will have people wondering if you’re playing unreleased bootlegs from the Police or Talking Heads. Oh, and don’t forget to dance! ℗ 2005 Scared Records