What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

When the title of your album is What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? you kind of have to wonder what to expect. I expected something a bit extraordinary because the buzz around this bound is redonkulous and that's exactly what I got something redonkulous. The Vaccines on their debut album bring some snotty punk attitude to their pop and let it run rampant all over their songs with amazing results.

Sounding something like the Editors, White Lies, Interpol or Glasvegas if they were all a bunch of brats, The Vaccines tap into their inner Mary Chain, let the riffs fly, crank it up to ten and create a series of anthems that will linger for ages. What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? is snarly and distorted, but so ridiculously easy to latch on to it's hard not to like it. Simplistic and surfy in its approach but with huge memorable riffs and choruses, this is the sort of record that follows you around everywhere whether you want it to or not.

With love on the rocks, begging for forgiveness, somewhat happy returns, and post break up sex, The Vaccines have apparently not been inoculated against the female of the species and have no problem writing about it. Featuring one tale of woe after another, you have start to wonder if The Vaccines shouldn't seek out some sort of counseling. If you think you've got it bad, just listen to this album. There's hope for you yet.

What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? is fantastic. It's an awesome debut from a darkly depressing band that can do no wrong. Just when I give up hope on Britpop (and mind you that's ALL I listened to for eight years) a band like this comes along and has me flying the Union Jack proudly once again. Easily one of the best albums of 2011.