Pretty Vacant – Walkin’ On A Tilt (2007)

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With a name like Pretty Vacant I thought this was going to be quite a punk sounding CD (punk not being my favorite genre), but Pretty Vacant aren't especially punk. For sure you can hear some punk influences in songs like "Anything Goes" and "Shoulda Said No" but its more the bouncy, fun side of the punk attitude, mixed in with glam. What Pretty Vacant actually is is more glam rock straight off the Sunset Strip and this particular sleaze rocker likes that!

The opening track "Welcome Home" is a perfect melodic rocker which I could listen to time and time again and not get tired of. It has a catchy sing-along chorus that gets you hooked. I always expect (rightly or wrongly) that the song a band chooses to name their CD after to be one of their best, and the song "Walkin' On a Tilt" doesn't disappoint. It's another great one that gets stuck in your head. If you aren't a big fan of ballady-type songs in general, try "Shine" - it's a nice song that is worth a listen. It showcases how this band really meshes together, vocally with great harmonies, and musically with great chemistry. Lead singer Kenny Vacant has a wonderful voice with the talent of sounding quite different, quite a lot of the time, which keeps you interested.
The weaker tracks on Walkin' on A Tilt would be "Turn of the Sun", it's just too pop sounding for my liking, and "Slow Day" is just, well, slow and dull. But with 15 tracks on this disc, and without reviewing each one, suffice to say most of these are gems. Even the demos are pretty good, especially their "Mystery Tour" cover.
This isn't hard and heavy stuff. Pretty Vacant, on their myspace, describe their music style as powerpop/glam. Powerpop isn't a term I'm familiar with, but if this is what they call powerpop I am now a fan of it! Suncity Records have once again brought another great band out of obscurity. Check them out to get a taste of something 'Pretty' good.

01. Welcome Home
02. Can't Stop
03. Walkin' On A Tilt
04. Slow Day
05. Born 2 Lose
06. Turn OFF The Sun
07. Shoulda Said No
08. Shine
09. Everlasting
10. Anything Goes
11. Love Club
12. Stardust (Demo)
13. Mystery Tour (Demo)
14. Hangin' Around (Demo)
15. Sunset Blvd. (High School Demo)

Band:
Kenny Vacant - lead vocals
Dave Trace - guitars
Dave Belanger - bass
Marc Anthony - drums
:
Produced by Bruce Seifert, Mike Gradey and Dave Trace. Mixed by Bruce Seifert and Pretty Vacant. Re-mastered by Gregg Fulkerson and Chris Fatouros.

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