Commander Venus
The Uneventful Vacation
Thick Records, 916 N. Damen, Chicago IL 60622
Release Date: July 8, 1997
It's been said that everyone who heard the Velvet Underground went out and started a band. Likewise, the historical importance of the commercially-overlooked indie rock meccas of the '80s and '90s will probably come as much from their future influence as from the music itself. Bands like Superchunk and Jawbox may not have delivered their messages to the MTV masses, but their long-term importance goes far beyond the bodies of work they created because of the countless bands that will draw from them well into the next millennium.
Well, if Commander Venus is any indication of what's to come from the second generation of indie rock, then the future looks bright indeed.
Hailing from the Cornhusker state (that's Nebraska, city kids), Commander Venus apparently has been far enough removed from any one scene to soak up the flavors of several. Certainly, the sounds of a hundred mid-Western emo bands didn't blow by unnoticed, but the group's The Uneventful Vacation (their second long player) also displays an unabashed love for dischordian post-harDCore, East Village noise and, most prevalently, Chapel Hill 'chunk
punk.
Archers of Loaf is the easy comparison, and the resemblance between Conor Obert's voice and AOL's Eric Bachmann is uncanny for sure. Like Bachmann, he has a singular talent for making clicheed and even silly lyrics sound heavy. It's a gift that allows him to make a line like, "The cops showed about a quarter to two / I didn't even notice, I was so immersed in my conversation with you," (from "Life as Expected") sound romantic as hell. He croons, whines and screams -- usually all three on a single track -- through the dozen tunes, all the while sounding like he'll collide at any moment with the already battling guitars and get himself one nasty head injury.
But where the Archers lay back and play it cool, comm.venus explodes through the roof. These are the moments when the band really shines -- when they sound so ecstatic to be playing their brand of brilliantly thick rock that you're afraid they'll blow your speakers out. And if that doesn't happen, then you just might smash the speakers yourself - the enthusiasm is dangerously infectious.
The album opens with a lulling swirl of noise that hints at more adventurous territory than comm.venus actually covers. Of course, how can you complain when the noise leads into "jean's t.v.," a glorious track that just may define a college radio geek's wet dream. Still, although I was drawn to the drop-dead songs after repeated listens, I found myself trying to wish the band into less safe waters. But hell, Obert just finished his junior year of high school a couple weeks ago -- there's plenty of time for growth. No wonder comm.venus sounds so damn excited!
-- Jon Carson
carson@outersound.com
