"Music Monday" - The Vaccines

Credit: Leon Diaper

“Thou shalt avoid two hour trips back and forth to Toronto in the middle of winter for late night concerts.”

I made that promise about a week before hearing a pulse pounding EP by this week's band.  So with great anticipation and a broken promise, I skidded down the highway to the legendary "Horseshoe Tavern" in early January of 2011 to watch their North American debut.

This weeks ‘Music Monday’ focus, and another band that I listen to while writing,  is “The Vaccines." They are a four-piece indie rock band out of London seemingly born into hype and comparison. In this case, just like "Oasis" and "The Beatles", “The Vaccines”, face big shoe comparisons, namely the Ramones and The Strokes. But just like the Gallagher brothers, they have so far lived up to the lofty expectations.

Now, at the beginning of all this hype in late 2010, "The Vaccines" were musically nothing more than a two track EP that was limited to 1,000 copies! But, with the blistering tracks “Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" and “Blow It Up”, the hype was rolling and upon first listen, 100% correct. Their music was that good, and dare I say it, that fun.

So with lofty comparisons leaving little room for error, their debut album, “What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?”, which followed in March of 2011, did not disappoint. With it coming in at just 36 minutes, it is an unbelievable caffeine kick. The intense pace and bounce of their music are some of the reasons this band is in my playlist for writing. The garage rockabilly sound of the ‘50's in tracks like “If You Wanna” will instantly grab you, while a track like  “Wetsuit” leaves you joyfully scratching your head at its mix of decades.


Though "Music Monday" only comes once a week,  my friends, colleagues and students are bombarded daily by my passion for great music. So it didn't really surprise me that "The Vaccines" really struck a chord with many of my high-school art students. So much so, that one of them made these amazing prints pictured to the right. She actually ended up getting them signed for me with the band saying things like "Thanks for spreading the word." and "Good Teaching!"  She gave them to me with a note thanking me for my four years teaching her, and the music I filled my room with. Needless to say, "The Vaccines" are a band, a broken promise, and a student I will never forget. So thanks for the music and the inspiration.

Now below you will find two tracks off their debut album as well as their first single, "No Hope", off of their new album "Come Of Age." If "No Hope" is any indication of their second album, out September 3, "The Vaccines" will clearly be skipping over the sophomore jinx.

If you like what you here below, you can order or pre-order their album from iTunes or The Vaccines Music Store.

Or, if you would like to connect with them socially, check them out on Twitter and Facebook.

Music Monday