The Vaccines

From Left to Right: Pete Robertson (drums), Justin Young (vocals/guitar), Árni Hjörvar (bass), Freddie Cowan (guitar) Photo credit to Google Images

Born out of West London, The Vaccines have, since 2010, opened for acts such as the Arctic Monkeys, The Walkmen and others that have had great success, which gave them a helping push up the alternative music industry ladder leading towards the mainstream.

The first rung was the demo upload of the energetic and simple song "If You Wanna" on YouTube in August of 2010, which gained loads of popularity and recognition.

What followed was the release of the debut single "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)"/"Blow it Up" a few months later only in the UK but immediately named "Track of the Day" in Q Magazine. The one minute or so of layered guitars and tight, upbeat drums accompanied by Justin Young's giddy and spontaneous sounding lyrics is well worthy of a $1.29 download.

On March of 2011 after already much success, The Vaccines released the album What Did You Expect from the Vaccines - an album that answers its own title/question because of my pleasant surprise when I first heard it.

A personal favorite of mine is "A Lack of Understanding", a more melodic track with more meaningful lyrics which contrasted the others nicely as a break from the more anthem like, punk infused tracks such as "All in White" and "Wetsuit".

"Blow it Up" is rougher around the edges, with a Pixies inspired array of noisy guitars that give that stadium like feeling of a big atmosphere.

The Vaccines have also recently performed at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival in Coachella, California, which brought together indie and alternative fans alike and featured bands from all over the spectrum from underdogs to mega hits.

A well anticipated second album The Vaccines Come of Age has been announced to be released the 3rd of September, 2012. And just like their name, The Vaccines have cured my longing for a wonderful and raw sounding band that, in my opinion, brings out the best in indie rock and music in general.

I'll make sure to add all the songs mentioned in this post, which are "If You Wanna", "Wreckin Bar (Ra Ra Ra)", "A Lack of Understanding", "All in White" and "Wetsuit" to that humongous iPod Touch in the top right-hand  corner.

Please give me feedback on this article, the album and anything else I have talked about on this blog, I would love to hear your opinion!