Album Review: Vanna - 'The Search Party Never Came (EP)'

Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t doing his job. The Terminator has allowed some kind of environmental disaster to happen in California because the water is clearly contaminated.

If you’re thinking to yourself “what the fuck is he talking about” allow me to make myself clear. Epitaph Records built its reputation on releasing classic punk rock records – albums from Rancid, The Offspring, NoFX and Pennywise. Even today the label has a roster which contains some of alternative music’s heaviest hitters – including the mighty Converge. Unfortunately, Epitaph also has shit kickers like Vanna on its payroll.

At the end of the day, Vanna aren’t that bad….. They just aren’t that good. The sticker on the front of the CD compares the band to Norma Jean and Every Time I Die and as a massive fan of both the aforementioned bands, I don’t hear any similarities. No southern rock, no discordant guitars and no time signature defying drum beats.

What I did hear was breakdowns….. And more breakdowns….. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, MORE BREAKDOWNS. To the band’s credit, there are some melodic passages on this EP which caught my attention but there simply aren’t enough of them.

Vanna aren’t bad at what they do, it’s just what

they do is play a style of music which requires some real chops to

stand apart from the pack. Unfortunately for Vanna, I don’t think

they’ve got the required equipment.

   1. A Dead Language For A Dying Lady

   2. That Champagne Feeling

   3. I Am The Wind, You Are The Feather

   4. Schadenfreude

   5. The Search Party Never Came

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