Somewhere along the line since the amazing 2004 debut Night On Fire, Kentucky's VHS Or Beta lost their guitarist of 10 years Zeke Buck, who parted ways to join Matthew Johnson in a new outfit called People Noise, exchancing the experimental dance funk for massive riffs and walls of feedback. Fair enough.
This however hasn't stopped the progress of the band, now a 3-piece, as they have just finished their third studio album Bring On The Comets, set for an August release in the US. Whilst new tracks such as forthcoming single 'Can't Believe a Single Word', and album teaser 'Burn It All Down' (both of which have been posted on the bands myspace page) have elements which herald back to the sound which they are most well known for, they also signal a departure towards a more minimal vibe, most obviously caused by the lack of Buck's trademark layered guitar noise. Yet despite this major change in the band's dynamic, they move on positively, as vocalist and guitarist Craig Pfunder discusses on their blog:
"We wanted to achieve a sort of minimalism we hadn't considered before. Not to say the record is minimal, but rather we focused on the songs first and labored to make big songs that have memorable melodies. That was a key focus."
'Burn It All Down' is my pick of the first two tracks to emerge, all flangered guitars, a riff not to disimilar to Boy Kill Boy's 'Suzie', with hints of syth and piano flourishing the verses, before a memorable chorus which calls back to 'Night on Fire', a highlight of the first record. VHS Or Beta are back, and it would appear they are far from an outdated format.
VHS Or Beta will release Bring On The Comets on August 28th via Astralwerks, there debut is available now.
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