New Hampshire’s Tan Vampires is a six-piece rock band that released their first LP last week. It is called For Physical Fitness, and it makes me sleepy.
With a couple of dramatic exceptions (Sweep Up the Pieces; Customer Satisfaction Survey), the album is comprised of subdued, slow-burning rock. On the top end there’s occasional, just-there lines of keyboard, marimba, or organ that lilt throughout the songs, but those bits are rarely up-front enough to make Tan Vamps into a band that one would associate more with keys than guitars. The guitar sound itself ranges widely: from slowly crunching distortion, to plucky acoustic folk, to spare, icy twangs. It’s really notable that they are able to cover so much musical ground with their guitars while also rarely deviating from their very distinctive mellow vibe. The band has obviously spent a lot of time considering the finer points of their production and honing their sound.
Lead singer Jake Mehrmann has a plaintive and clear voice that is an excellent match for the wistful, autumnal songs that predominate the album. Thanks to the often-subdued instrumentation, it is he that most often steals the show in the songs, sometimes taking on melodies with little instrumental assistance behind him, the rest of the band plugging along with their spare, rhythmic playing, and his voice flying away on the back of his heavy, intense lyrics.
There’s a little something for everyone here, be they folk fans, Modest Mouse fans, Death Cab fans, or anyone who’s feeling a little moody. It’s the kind of music that feels like a hug, but doesn’t get boring after a few songs.
–Alex Pinto
