I remember seeing Russian prog-rock band, Aquarius, on television and saying to myself, “I wish I liked their music more. Those billowing capes look so cool.” I still tried hard to get excited about their densely allegorical music, but it was only the outer package I was really attracted to. I soon moved on toward less pompous musical pursuits. With The Vulcan Dub Squad’s album, I found myself attracted to its extremely attractive packaging. After all, what Canadian can resist sexy photos of Pierre Trudeau circa 1970? And the album title seemed indicative of some rather tough, aggressive music within. So I took the bait and discovered, to my disappointment, that the majority of this record took the form of long, insistent guitar jams. Sometimes they speeded up, sometimes they slowed down, and sometimes there were vocals lying overtop for added interest, but they still kept chugging along in the same desultory fashion. If you’re a fan of technically precise music, with strains of The Ex, The Fall, and Uz Jsme Doma bleeding through on occasion, then The Vulcan Dub Squad might appeal. I’ll just sit around in my cape in the meanwhile and dream about a Trudeaumania concept album that might have been. (Karyn Bonham)
CD, Five Deadly Records, www.thevulcandubsquad