press » 23/09/09

Amplified Magazine CD Review WSRNR

Two things I know about The Vibes, they’re from Switzerland and they can play kick ass rock.

The band have been together since 2002 (Doh! that’s three things), and play what I can only call good old fashioned Southern Rock, who’d have figured?

The songs are straight forward, no nonsense, powerful and catchy. Guitars smoke on cue, bass is distorted and lowdown and definitely not playing second fiddle to the racy drumming.

The vocalist sounds like he’s been living the life since he was ten, all smoky and croaky, an excellent voice for the band.

Good songs, good writing, well played with imagination, with no drop in quality over the course of the CD, if the band are anything like this good on stage they’ll be earning themselves a reputation that will eventually get them signed to a major label.

If I gave ratings this’d be a 5/5!

Amplified Magazine, September 09

press » 23/07/09

rock realms CD Review WSRNR

The Vibes describe themselves as 3 rebels from Aarau, Switzerland. Apart from a selection of trilateral chocolate products, I wasn’t aware there was anything rebellious in Switzerland… so the existence of this band can only be good news.

The line-up is, wait for this, MoJo (vocals, guitar and, er, whiskey bottles), Matlock (vocals, bass, organ and blues harp), Stuntman Jack (’longhorn’ drums). It’s not clear whether MoJo plays or drinks the whiskey bottles, but we’ll assume for the sake of argument he does both.

The band play a retro rock ‘n’ roll with a modern attitude. They sound like the real deal too - not wannabe kids pretending to be aggressive because that’s what people want. The songs are well constructed and follow a cleverly defined sound. That sound may not be massively original, but it works.

The title track kicks things off with the phrase ‘I love fuckin’ with an audience’. You don’t doubt it for a second. It’s a raucous number with wild, beautifully played guitars and a crazy blues harp hook. The vocals are laid back but as rough as a carpenter’s calluses. The rhythms belt along like a boulder tumbling down an Alp. ‘Keep The Kettle Boiling’ has a self-assured sound that’s totally at odds with the punk feel the album possesses elsewhere. It’s a mid paced mellow song with a lake of Bohemian passion bubbling beneath the surface.

‘Devil’s Nipples’ is, to say the least, an unusually titled track. Yes, they really do sing about the Devil’s nipples. It’s an organ-led track with an unmistakable 70’s twang. It isn’t the best song on the album but you have to respect the references to Beelzebub’s milk dispensers. ‘Bed Rebel’ is presumably a reference to sub-duvet prowess. It’s a funky song, but the singer sounds like he’s impersonating an upset baby. Not so good.

You really wouldn’t know this band came from Switzerland. They sound like a UK punk band crossed with a Southern rock ‘n’ roll outfit and the Dandy Warhols. The album features fine performances all round, especially the guitar playing. The end result isn’t necessarily my thing, but I’d totally understand if you loved this. The Vibes have a great ‘vibe’ and there’s no way they’ll be anything but a riot live.

rockrealms.com (UK), 23/07/09

press » 01/07/09

classic rock magazine (!) CD Review WSRNR

No cliché left unturned.

From the country that gave the world Albert Einstein, Roger Federer and the Alpine horn comes a three-piece low on nuance and high on rock’n'roll.

You might think that last part’s a cliché, but wait until you hear Switzerland’s The Vibes.

The trio - known respectively as MoJo, Matlock and Stuntman Jack (which makes them sound like a drama made for ITV 2 that never got past the pilot stage) - inhabit a world where a bandana and a Jack Daniel’s T-shirt are still de rigueur.

Judging by this album it could still be the late 80s on the Alpine slopes.

At their best the trio sound like an especially rambunctious Supersuckers or Motörhead really hitting their groove, but an all too prevalent lack of imagination, reflected in song titles like ‘Bed Rebel’ and ‘Whiskey’n'Bones’, too often stifles their strut.

Philip Wilding, classic rock magazine (UK), 01/07/09

press » 01/07/09

rockhardplace.com CD Review WSRNR

Switzerland is not supposed to be known for it’s down n’ dirty Rock N’ Roll, but in the past few months I’ve already heard 3 of the most pure ROCK bands I’ve heard in years. Zamarro, Dog’s Bollocks, and now The Vibes. These guys are oozing rock n’ roll from every pore. There’s traces of rockabilly, southern rock, some glam, and just about everything in between. If you’re taking a more 80’s perspective think of some traces of D.A.D., early L.A. Guns and even some Gene Loves Jezebel. The truth is I could sit here all day and come up with other bands they might sound like, the truth is that they have a refreshingly NEW sound.

Somehow they would be able to please the Garage Rock and the fans of the more Sleazy 80’s style. This is not an easy task but they could do it, each track has it’s own personality. “Ride Your Horse Down” has a catchy Brit Pop Chorus with some bluesy bad-ass riffs. “Whisky Bones” even has some delicious Hammond Organ sounds mixed in that makes it 10 times cooler. The title track has some blistering guitar solos and a toe-tapping groove that I imagine would cause a mosh pit to break out live.

Bottom line, probably one of the baddest ass coolest fucking bands out there. They’ve got the look, the sound and that reminds me why I do what I do. This release will be on my playlist for eternity!

Torch, www.rockhardplace.com (USA), 01/07/09

press » 01/06/09

glitzine.net CD Review WSRNR

Let’s start saying, plain and simple: I totally love this! And I would have never expected to say this about a Southern Rock ‘n’ Roll band from Switzerland. Yes, Switzerland. Listening to this album you would bet they’re from Tennessee, and if Mr Jack Daniels had decided to start a band rather than a whiskey brand, it would sound exactly like The Vibes.

Someone said “Sounds like Bud Spencer fighting with Quentin Tarantino while Motörhead plays live on stage”, and I quote ’cause I think it’s a damn good picture. And I would add, that stage would probably be in a bar on Sixth Street, Austin, Texas. The good thing is, being European we may be in with a chance to see them live without going all the way to the US…

They joined each other in late 2002 and since then they take care of their business to spread their rock ‘n’ roll like a fever. The sound is rather rude, overdriven guitars & basses, roaring drums and organs, some southern rock influences and the lifestyle of rock ‘n’ roll. “Whiskey Sex and Rock ‘n’ Roll” is one rough, racy, dirty, down-to-business rock ‘n’ roll explosion after the other, no pause, no ballads, no fillers. It’s hard to pick highlights or favourites. The title track is absolutely brilliant, makes you wanna headbang, sing, have a beer and smoke all at the same time, but the following “Smokin’ Ace” is maybe even better. And what about “Devil’s Nipples” and “Bed Rebel”? There’s Motorhead but also Supersuckers, with a touch of Social Distortion and, why not? a sprinkle of Jet here and there.

I can only recommend you to get this and listen to all of it, no skip, with a cool straight JD and a cigarette in your hand in a hot summer night, raising your glass to rock ‘n’ roll and all those who keep it alive.
Christina Massei, www.glitzine.net (UK), 01/06/09