Vaccine [CD]

I've been a fan of Simon Posford's work since hearing the amazing 'Herb Gardern' track on Mystery of the Yeti (pre Hallucinogen & Shpongle) many years back in Goa. I wasn't that much into the trance movement which is ironic really considering the time I spent in Goa, although I did like the tracks 'LSD' & 'Shamanix' he did with Hallucinogen. The work Simon did on the Celtic Cross 'Hicksville' album was though really cool!

However, it wasn't until his Shpongle project that I really started to hear what sheer talent Simon Posford (and Raja & the others in Shpongle) had! Shpongle albums were ALL amazing and 'Tales of the Inexpressible' is still now one of my fav albums of ALL time!!! One album on a desert island... for me it would be 'Tales of the inexpressible' without a doubt! Yip, that for me is even above Pink Floyd!!!

As much as I like the many Top-drawer psy tracks from Aphex Twin, FSOL, Eat Static, Tripswitch, Entheogenic, Phutureprimitive, OTT, Shulman, Ozrics etc. I feel Shpongle managed to really NAIL that psy ambient sound for the FULL length of a whole album. (Saying that, OTT's 'Skylon' is something else!) While my fav psy individual tracks are from Aphex Twin, OTT etc it was Shpongle that have made my fav albums.

So when I later heard Younger Brother (I didnt realise until later on that this was Mr. Posford) I really liked 'A flock of bleeps'. Although not quite Shpongle, there were some killer tracks on 'flock...'. When I then heard 'Last days of Gravity' I realised that this project in itself was gonna be BIG, perhaps even bigger than Shpongle. Time will tell on that I guess. On 'Last days of Gravity' the tracks 'Happy pills' & 'Your friends are scary' in particular would get on ANY best of cd of all time for me. That's how good I thought 'last days' was!!! While not as complete an album as say Shpongle albums, 'Last days of Gravity' was really superbly excellently produced :)

So, now with 'Vaccine', they again have changed direction. For me who appreciates MANY styles of music, I think thats great! Yes, there are lyrics, but I think the lyrics are pretty damn good for a 1st proper attempt at a lyric-based album. While more 'rock' and guitar based tracks, there is still LOTS of psy in the tracks also for those that have the ear to hear ;) 'Vaccine' is the perfect album for the morning/afternoon after the night before, if you know what I mean ;)

I feel sad when I read 1-dimensional reviews from people who demand that artists stick to a very similar formulae again & again and dare not deviate!!! That to me just becomes boring and after a while I get sick of the sound. Simon, Benji & the others I feel sure, are more mainstream with this album, but it still is great. Sure, it is not the album I'd listen to at 2am during a party, not like Shpongle albums, but it is still supremely well produced and like I say, the suttle psy sounds for me work just as well as the full on earlier Younger Brother stuff.

More mainstream... good, perhaps it might influence and raise the barrier of those who create mainstream music. The psy sounds do fit well in this and to me, it is a strong album. My fav tracks so far (I only got this last week)... 'Shine', 'Train' and 'System 700'. I look forward to the time when I eventually see Younger Brother live and I hope to hear a mix of all the stuff the created on their very different, but brilliantly crafted 3 albums so far. What next, who knows, but thats just it with Simon & Benji... whatever it is I'm CERTAIN it will be pure quality :)

If you were to listen to this album without knowing that it was the latest work of Simon Posford and his band Younger Brother, you could reasonably label it pop-rock. That is the one and only reason certain fans have turned their nose up at this LP.
'Vaccine' is rarely, and only vaguely, reminiscent of the Younger Brother we already know. However, if you are a lover of music, you will be lucky enough to appreciate this frankly beautiful and infinitely moving new side of Posford's musical personality. This is songwriting and musical composition at its finest, and the production is as mind-blowing as it is has been with Posford's other projects (Shpongle, Hallucinogen, Celtic Cross, The Infinity Project). We can only wish that 'pop music' was remotely as polished and vibrant as the music on this album. 'Vaccine' proves that Posford's genius and appreciation of music knows no boundaries, unlike the tastes of some of his more unfortunate fans.

Right, I have had this album since it came out. I have purposefully left reviewing this album until I had given it a proper listening.
For me this was the most eagerly awaited album of the year and boy does it deliver. the band has evolved into something that is grown up and inventive. the band has matured into a band in its own right not as just a side project of Simon Posford and Benji Vaughan, with Ru Campbell on vocals intermittently.
Ru Campbell's voice is more prominent on this album and takes centre stage rather than being an occasional entity. His voice is both fragile and powerful, carrying the songs to greater heights. The highlights of the album are Shine, Night Lead me Astray, Pound a rhythm, Train and Sys 700. However, that is not to say that the other songs on the album are weaker than these tracks.
If you have not heard this band before, this is a highly recommended album. If you have heard them and haven't bought it yet - buy it.