VERMILION SANDS Reviews

...REVIEWS !!

VERMILLION SANDS
"s/t" LP/CD

ROCTOBER (USA) April 2011 Italian fuzzed out Americana playground chant square dance orgy pop. (x)

CORPORATE KNOCK OUT VOL.1 2010 This album sounds like you are driving around in a cabrio in the South of warm and sunny Italy, with an icecold drink in your hand. Okay okay, if you have a drink in your hand you better let someone else do the driving… But you know where I wanna get at: this is remarkable poppy and cranky Garagefolk with a strong Mediterranean feeling. It sounds like LOVE BOAT team up with the DEAD BROTHERS and MOVIE STAR JUNKIES. And two members of the latter can actually be found in the line-up of the VERMILLION SANDS. Incidentally THE GOODNIGHT LOVING could be a sister-band, too! These Italians drag from many influences – I can hear spa - ghetti western-Country here, an organ there and the song “Peter Peter” even sounds like a nursery rhyme. Some of the guiding elements are the unusual drum-style (by now it should be clear that this is NOT a Punk-record) and indeed the vocals of singer Anna. I don’t know, maybe her voice is something some listeners must get used to, cuz she sings a little bit too cute and quacky sometimes (not to mention the Italian accent), but the voice fits good with the songs. Music like warm honey, an uncommon and good album from Italy.(Bernd)

SLEAZEGRINDER DEZ 2010 'I wish I could live in a room on the outskirts of town with no-one around...' Come come all ye comely creeps into this deceptively cramped cabin carpeted with wondrously desiccated frantic acid-folk and serrated salt-water swirls and furnished & coated in slide, rollicksome bass under-over-sideways 'round roiling drums festooned with farfisa frolics and occasional flourishes of surf-scowling guitar sinistrations so seasoned a thousand fringes would be granted free therapy, as anyone exposed in any local barren store and crumbling coastlines of recorded delights to the monstrous storm of Movie Star Junkie's mellifluous MELVILLE marvelpiece - two of whom's helmsmen's loiter in these shadows - will whoop-a-holler about. Fearsomely foxy fairytales dripping in ethereal yet direct prickly insinuations and haughty purrs, however off kilter. Anna's enchanting twang is like the disembodied air in Kat Bjelland dark lantern stare that could idly disembowel you with a furtive hither ye come oh simpering sap. Sure, the psych-country goth-skiffle approach may beach Holly Golightly (or Gothlightly as the cheat sheet info delightfully says - LOOK, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS RECORD IS PRETTY BARSTADLY DELIGHTFUL) - into still waters all the better for sinking through - like the fragillically epic Monsoon Blues, a waltz indeed above & beyond yours stuly's fetishistic warmth for the form, beckoning Bow-waves), by itself no small salt-shakers but it's shape-shifting, unaffectedly kooky charms conjures Voice of the Beehive, Warm Up with it's strains of California Dreamin', the Floyd-fucked by The Fish (or thrice vice versa) closer Ghost Song to Fabien Delsol's coquettish girl spy-pop (Wake Me When I Die) or and any other continental chick you keep in your lockets. Quite sweetly astonishing and quietly gargantuan. Damn, I do love Italians.

GARAGE BAND REVISITED NOV 2010 If u like the Goodnight Loving ( O.T.H.rds ) listen " in the wood " if u score the Mojomatics (Alien Snatch rds ) dig " wake me when i die" if u or Movie star Junkies ( Voodoo Rhythm rds) " catch" monsoon blues ". U must dig this album by Vermillion Sands ( Alien Snatch rds ).Banjo , piano , guitars mix allow the femele Anna voice to be more sexy than ever . 11 tracks right from folk / bluesy / country Pop trend 'll enjoy u. A very pleasent debut wax from Italia in 2010 ."(Patryck)

YOUR FLESH MAG AUGUST 2010 While all the new bullshit rock and roll bands mine the “garage” quarry it’s pleasant to witness Vermillion Sands standing near the lip of it, whipping rocks at whoever comes into sight. Subverting the genre you’ll inevitably be lumped in with is not a new idea but it’s certainly one that isn’t utilized enough. This becomes even more of a coup when the genre you’ll be lumped in with is bloated with same-y sounding bands which are as half-baked as their catalogs. Immediately, VS is gripping but not in an aggressive way. They are weird, genuinely weird, spooky sounding Joe Meek-ish outcasts who likely did very poorly in their respective physical education programs. Androgynous vocals slide all over the place and do something that nobody in garage has really thought about yet…they compliment the music. Speaking of, this band has chops and not in the obnoxious power pop way, but in a way that reminds one of the Troggs or Kevin Ayers. ”Wake Me When I Die” woozily delivers right on time and although the vocals are pretty much potatoes as far as the flavor goes, they sure are filling. Look out Dwyer, these kids may have the best of the early OCS stuff down better than you ever did.

STYROFOAM DRONE Here’s something that we’ve been waiting for for awhile now. It’s the first full length record from Italy’s own Vermillion Sands. The album was released a little over a month ago at this point (April 10th), and it was put out by the Alien Snatch! Records label. Up until this point, the Vermillion Sands were getting by simply by releasing a new 7" every few months or so, but now we finally have a proper release from the gritty garage rocking 4-some that is the Vermillion Sands. Lead singer Anna Barattin fearlessly takes vocal duties all the way through the album, and is backed up by her band mates who plow through songs with galloping drum beats, tense bass lines and jangly guitars. The album kicks off on the fast paced “In the Wood”, which originally came from the In the Wood 7" that came out back in February 2009. This song gives you a good taste at what the Vermillion Sands sound like, and it works well as an opening track. It has a small piece of all the elements that Vermillion Sands have had in the past; such as Barattin’s nasally, heavily accented voice, crunchy guitars or the fast-paced nonstop action. The second track on the album, “Monsoon Blues”, is the first song on the record that wasn’t previously put out on a 7" that we had covered. It’s a bit slowed down, which gives it kind of a menacing feel, almost like you’re in a room that’s spinning around without ever taking a moment to stop.
The next track “Wake Me When I Die” may be a familiar one. This track came from the first record the Vermillion Sands had ever put out, the outstanding Mary 7?, which is probably the most solid of all their 7" records to date. Moving on to track four, this one is another brand new VS song. It’s called “The Last Day”, and it’s got those extremely tense bass lines and jangly guitars that we have mentioned before. The following track “Peter Peter” totally changes the mood completely from the last track. When this one starts off it’s going to sound like you’re hanging out in a barnyard on a farm somewhere, but one thing that is for sure is that this guy Peter sounds like he’s having a rough time. Lead singer Barattin sings “Once he used to have great fun, and now he’s coming with a gun.” Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this Peter guy – he doesn’t sound too pleasant, and apparently, he’s got a gun. Hell, he couldn’t even keep his wife. Either way though, this is an excellent track. Be sure to check this one out below.
Moving ahead to the track “Star Light Star Bright”, this song kind of follows a similar path of the song “Monsoon Blues”. It’s has that restless feel to it, not to mention the strained bass line and it’s relentless approach. It’s not a surprise that it’s the shortest song on the record considering how fast it is. Next up would be “Weary & Weak”, which takes a step back and gives you a chance to catch your breath, unlike the previous track. About halfway through on this one a noisy guitar comes in to shake things up for a few seconds, and then pops up again in the final minute before the song ends, all while the spaced out lead guitar hangs above your head and guides you through the song. Next track “Warm Up” starts off in familiar Vermillion Sands territory before moving into a ridiculously fuzzed-out guitar solo, which is sure to catch you by surprise. Skipping ahead to the last track “Ghost Song”, this one is in a department of its own. Barattin’s echoing, drowned out vocals sound as if she’s floating through space somewhere without ever coming back down. It’s got quite a different feel to it that wasn’t anywhere else on the album, which leaves you wondering where these Italian garage rockers are going to bring us next. Until then, we’ll just have to guess. Thanks for coming by once again, and please be sure to listen to the mp3's below. (ZC)

ITALIAN

STAY PUNK JULY 2010 Primo Lp per il quartetto trevigiano, che dopo aver regalato ai posteri manciate di canzoni in formato vinilico escono adesso per Alien Snatch Records - mica cazzi - con 11 canzoni 11 che confermano le belle parole spese da me - cazzi - nella precedente recensione (leggi "Vermillion Sands - Miss my gun"). Le influenze sono tante, dal garage al folk passando per il blues, ma in questi casi bisogna chiamarlo rock, puro e semplice, che sprizza stelle e strisce da tutti i pori. Il maggior merito del gruppo è la capacità di cambiare registro con una naturalezza incredibile; "Monsoon blues" è una marcia funerea affogata in tre dita di whiskey, "Peter Pan" ha il sapore di quei Marshmallow bianchi e rosa che vendono alle fiere e che le nostre mamme (o la mia ragazza) non ci fanno mai comprare, "star light star bright" ha un ritornello con le carte in regola per diventare una hit nei pub dublinesi, "warm up" è lolitescamente maliziosa mentre la conclusiva "ghost song" profuma di gita al faro. Manca un super capolavoro come la "Where was he from" del precedente Ep, e solo per questo mi fermo a quattro stelline, ma il disco è di quelli irrimediabilmente necessari. Procuratevelo. (DC)

ROCK IT.IT! JUNE 2010 Dei Vermillion Sands avevo scritto: "scanzonato garage folk, dal sapore retrò ma dal tiro molto attuale" che "miscela trans-genicamente il sapore robusto delle pannocchie della campagna Yankee al gusto dei più pregiati acini dei vigneti veneti". Ero rimasto colpito dalla "dolce voce svogliata di Anna", che ci obbligava a seguirla "come topolini stregati tra boschi vergini e falò sotto le stelle" aspettando "l'album per la consacrazione definitiva". L'album del quartetto é arrivato, include le già note e trascinanti "In The Wood" e "Wake Me When I Die", in più spiccano la filastrocca per sorriso sdentato di banjo "Peter Peter", l'esperimento pop-country molto riuscito di "Razors", la dolce-amarognola "Weary B. Weak" e ancora la minacciosa "Monsoon Blues": ci sono un paio di numeri un po' a vuoto, ma anche una ghost song dal taglio psichedelico che forse (ma forse) lascia intravedere un futuro più sperimentale in studio di registrazione. E insomma, li consacro definitivamente? Direi di sì, anche e soprattutto in virtù dell'ottimo EP "Miss My Gun", che in coppia con quest'album ci consegna un gruppo sempre più sicuro, anche e soprattutto nelle performance dal vivo. Insomma facciamo finta che i treni non esistano, la frontiera è ancora vergine, conquistiamola passo dopo passo, i treni tanto arriveranno, ma noi li osserveremo da lontano e, come sempre, li prenderemo in giro dall'alto dei nostri cuori. (MP)

GERMAN

FLYING REVOLVER AUG 2010 Frischen Wind bringen die Vermillion Sands aus Italien mit ihrer Debütplatte. Die Band aus Treviso überschneidet sich stark mit den ebenfalls von dort stammenden Moviestar Junkies, doch im Vordergrund steht fraglos die Sängerin und Songschreiberin Anna Barattin mit ihrer etwas kühlen aber stets charmanten Stimme mit netten italienischen Akzent. Abgesehen von dem kann man sich durchaus an Holly Golithly erinnert fühlen, doch selbst bei melancholischen Stücken wirkt alles unangestrengt und nicht dem Zwang unterworfen, „Kunst“ fabrizieren zu müssen. Die von Americana-, Garage-Folk- und Popeinflüssen geprägten Songs begeistern vor allem durch ihre Leichtigkeit und Spielfreude. Durch sie werden die verschiedenen Einflüsse, Stimmungen und Instrumente scheinbar spielend vereint und eine wunderbare Atmosphäre geschaffen, in die man mittels der Platte immer wieder gerner eintaucht. Dabei haben’s Songs und Arrgangenents durchaus in sich. Bei aller Leichtfüßigkeit sind die 11 Stücke alles andere als naive Folk-Pop-Songs. Immerhin sind hier auch Leute am Werke, die ganz bestimmt wissen, was sie tun. Bassist Nele, der für Aufnahmen verantwortlich zeichnet, ist schließlich (neben MojoMatt) einer der beiden Betreiber des mittlerweile einige Berühmtheit genießenden Outside/Inside Studio. Songs wie „The Last Day“, „In the Wood“ oder auch „Peter, Peter“ wären allemal ein Fall für cooles Radio, wenn es sowas doch nur bei uns gäbe! In Amerika muss die dem Album vorangegangene Single bereits mächtig eingeschlagen haben. Es wäre allerdings unclever, darauf zu warten, dass dies bei uns auch passiert. Besser ist es sich die Platte mit dem lustigen Tier-Artwork zu holen und zu Hause sein eigenes Radio zu machen.(UC)

TWANG TONE MAY 2010 ALBUM DES MONATS! Eine schöne Überraschung! Diese Band hatte ich bis vor kurzer Zeit noch überhaupt nicht auf dem Schirm. Ihre Debüt Single aus dem Jahr 2008 fiel mir vor Monaten zufällig in die Hände. Ich war ganz angetan, sortierte die 7“ ein und vergaß sie. Nun also die Debüt LP. Der erste Eindruck: hübsch, schöne Melodien, eine weitere Garage Pop Band mit Sängerin. Aus Treviso, Norditalien. Ok, in den 1980er Jahren kamen ein paar ganz gute Neo-Sixties und Neo-Psych Bands aus Italien. Aber seitdem sind über 20 Jahre vergangen. Und Vermillion Sands sind auch keine Neo-Sixties Band. So etwas gibt es heute gar nicht mehr. Dazu sind die Einflüsse und stilistischen Verknüpfungen zu vielfältig. Americana-Folk-Garage-Pop, das Songwriting manchmal wirklich klassisch Sixties wie bei den Girlgroups aus dem Hause Morton oder Spector. Die Sounds mitunter wirklich psychedelisch. In erster Linie ist es aber eine recht straighte Folkrock Platte mit Leadsängerin, eine bluesy Blondie oder gothic Golightly in einem Vorstadt Gun Club. Die Band, lese ich, ist im Ausland weit erfolgreicher als zuhause in Italien. In den USA und Kanada laufen ihre Singles im Radio. Eine Club Tour durchs nördliche Mitteleuropa wurde gerade erfolgreich absolviert. Wenn sie auf der nächsten Tour hier vorbei kommen, werde ich da sein. Einstweilen höre ich die LP wieder und wieder. Diese verzerrten Orgelklänge, twangy Gitarren, diese leichte Schwere verbunden mit locker galoppierenden Rhythmen, all das klingt so vertraut und neu zugleich. Jeder Track ist stilistisch ein bisschen anders. Vom klassischen Orgel getrie-benen Garage Pop des Openers „In The Wood“ über den düsteren „Monsoon Blues“ und das Jugband artige „Wake Me When I Die“ bis zur Banjo begleiteten Geschichte des unglücklichen Frauenhelden „Peter“. Vom flotten „Star Light Star Bright“ über das mit Slide Guitar veredelte eher nach-denkliche „Weary And Weak“ und das verträumte „Sew My Heart“ bis hin zum psychedelischen Schlusstrack „Ghost Song“. Eine wunderbare Platte! Eine sehr amerikanische Platte. Kein Wunder, dass die College Radios von Austin bis Toronto darauf anspringen. Die Erstauflage der LP kommt in einem extra gefertigten Siebdruck Cover. ****(MP)

PANKERKNACKER OCT 2010 Was ist das?? Ich kann es nicht sagen, aber muss man denn immer alles in irgendwelche Schubladen packen?? Ich weiß nur eins, es klingt verdammt gut. Eine verrückte Mischung aus 60er-Gitarren-Indie-Rock-n-Roll mit leichtem Country Touch und zuckersüßer Frauenstimme, gepaart mit vielen verschiedenen Schrammelgitarrensounds, Orgeln, Percussion usw. Die vierköpfige Band kommt aus Italien und sie wissen nicht nur zu unterhalten, sondern laden zum Träumen ein und bescheren dem Zuhörer mit ihrem groovig-verrauchten-Barsound ein zufriedenes Lächeln auf den Lippen. Ich hörte sie zum ersten Mal auf dem Weg in den Urlaub und es hat einfach nur gepasst, danke für diesen herrlichen Moment. Dieses Album wird euch auf jeden Fall immer wenn euch danach ist Spaß und Freude bereiten, sei es beim Einkaufen, beim Kochen, beim Frühstück, in der Straßenbahn etc. egal, passt immer!! Und Songs wie in the wood, wake me when I die oder star light star bright haben nicht nur Ohrwurm-, sondern auch Hitcharakter. Superschick auch das Artwork der Platte. Die CD kommt im schönen Digipack und das alles in verrückte Waldtiere mit Laseraugenaufmachung. Schön abgetrasht ist auch das Booklet, anstatt Texten gibt es hier ein mehrseitiges Comic, das einen Bieber zeigt, der seine Augen ausreißt und anschließend selbst verspeist. Wonderful!
(DAM)

MONKEY BUSINESS OCT 2010 Mein deutsches Lieblingslabel ist mit einem neuen Album zurück. Es handelt sich um das Debut der aus Treviso (Italien) stammenden Band Vermillion Sand, um die attraktive Sängerin und Gitarristin Anna. Wie soll ich diesen sexy Mix aus rauhen Folk, zugiger Garage und Pop beschreiben? Hier hilft am besten Namedropping. Denn wer sich hier versammelt hat, um die von Anna komponierten Stücke, zu einem Hit-Album im Jahr 2010 zu machen, lässt auch nur erahnen wie geil das alles hier ist. Also, es spielen Jungs von den Movie Star Junkies mit. Aufgenommen wurde das ganze im bekannten Outside Inside Studio, in dem bereits die Mojomatics (!), Love Boat (!) oder Mark Sultan (!) und viele andere ihre Songs für Garage Junkies weltweit aufgenommen haben. Die Lieder werden durch die schöne und sexy Stimme von Anna getragen. Unterlegt mit Orgeln, Piano einem treibenden aber zurückhaltenden Drumming, unverzehrten (Western)Gitarren und schönem Basssound, wird hier ein kleines, feines Meisterwerk rausgehauen. Da hat der Daniel mal wieder ein sicheres Händchen bewiesen. Die Band begeisterte bereits mit ihrer Debutsingle die US Indie Radiostationen. Fat Possum brachte eine 45er und Sacred Bones eine 12er raus. Jetzt also endlich das Debut. Und was für eins! Ich habe hier die CD-Version vorliegen. Diese kommt in einem schönen Digipack mit einer Kurzgeschichte daher. Leider sind aber keine Texte mit dabei. Übrigens: Neben den Reigning Sounds und alten Dead Brothers, die beste Platte um sie beim vögeln laufen zu lassen. Nicht weil sie schnell und wild ist, nö. Weil die Atmosphäre einfach stimmt. Sexy! Tipp! (El Chico Loco)

FRENCH

undisqueunjour.com JUL 2012 En 2010, les italiens de Vermillion Sands sortent enfin leur premier disque, éponyme, après une bonne poignée de 45 tours qui les aura doucement popularisés dans la sphère rock indé européenne. En creusant, on se rend compte que l'Italie est un pays qui foisonne de groupes garage qui en plus d'être relativement populaires malgré une certaine confidentialité, sortent des disques de très bonne facture, avec des chansons souvent remarquables et un travail de production soigné. Nous avons déjà parlé des Mojomatics, éclaireurs et pionniers, figures de proue de la scène garage Italienne; voici maintenant les Vermillion Sands. On peut dire que l'esprit rock minimaliste du groupe réside dans les compositions sans prétention et presque anodines d'Anna Barratin, la voix du groupe qui s'accompagne à la guitare acoustique, alors que les trois autres s'occupent du reste. Les bruits de fond, la basse ronde, les effets de guitare, les marches et rythmes décérebrés constituent le gros du son du groupe avec une variété et une inspiration épatantes. Le style garage-folk de Vermillion Sands oscille entre le côté do it yourself d'un groupe qui ne s'embarasse pas du son lêché souvent pataud, et la volonté de proposer avec réussite quelque chose de bien fini et de franchement classe. La menaçante Monsoon Blues, tenace, teigneuse et d'une mélancolie absolue, est parfaite, alors que s'enchainent ensuite les mid-tempo d'une folk qui ne se réclame de personne, sortie de l'imagination fertile d'un groupe qui s'installe dans une délicieuse ambiance grave et psychédélique. Il arrive que la folk-garagienne des Vermillion Sands prenne des orientations punk sixties (Wake Me When I Die, Warm Up), pop (Weary & Weak, Sew My Heart), et même country (The Last Day), sans que l'album ne patisse d'une hétérogénéité malheureuse. La voix décalée d'Anna Barratin et l'imperfection mesurée de la plupart des morceaux, ajoutées à l'orgue fou, aux rythmes fournis et fleuris et aux arpèges de guitare sillonnant l'ensemble à vue, donnent aux morceaux une fraîcheur, une spontanéité et un côté artisanal et authentique du plus bel effet. Si comme nous vous pensez que ce premier album des Vermillion Sands est une franche réussite vous pouvez toujours enchainer avec les singles, eux aussi valent largement le coup. (MJ)

SPANISH

tba

VERMILLION SANDS

.. .
german french italian

ENGLISH

AGIT READER “Somthing Wrong” b/w “Mother of Earth” (hell yes) Falling on the heels of their self-titled debut, this twofer finds Italy’s Vermillion Sands making their way through a couple of herky-jerky jaunts. Singer Anna Barattom has a particular howl that’s unlike any other, sort of a modern day Wanda Jackson that’s equal parts barbed wire and baby’s breath. Her cohorts pounce around it while mixing ’60s noir western tones and 21st century ramshackling. On the A-side, “Something Wrong,” it’s a frenetic she-bang, while the B-side, “Mother of Earth,” is made from bent notes and melting facades. Both amount to something that’s immediately familiar and completely foreign to Western ears, a reinterpretation of rock & roll’s most distant cornerstones worthy of further importation. .

TERMINAL BOREDOM Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Super-cool little record from Rijapov that I didn't see coming at all. Vermillion Sands is a lass by the name of Anna on lead guitar and vocals, who does a good job of being the Italian version of Holly Golightly. She's accompanied by Nene from Movie Star Junkies (who are a surprisingly great Italo-garage band in their own right) on bass/piano and gets a helping hand from both Mojomatics as well. The title cut is sharp garage-pop with an edge, semi-tough fuzz guitar offsetting her vocals, a really great hook with some slight keyboard touches and someone called Be Invisible Now throwing in some weird sound effects here and there. Killer song. B-Side references the blend of country and rock'n'roll Holly utilizes so sublimely, "Wake Me When I Die" is light-hearted lamenting with an infectious chorus and "Would You Kindly Direct me To Hell?" is homespun C&W twang with a woman's touch. Really stellar stuff here, especially for a Holly G. fan like me, as it's so strikingly similar. It sidles up perfectly to what she was doing around 'God Don't Like It' and 'Desperate Little Town' LPs, when she was collaborating heavily with Dan Melchior. Very well done, highly recommended if you're into this sort of thing..(RK)

TERMINAL BOREDOM In the Wood 7"EP (FAT POSSUM) The debut 7" from Vermillion Sands was an under the radar import hit last year, romancing many of us with its Holly Golightly-like Americana-reverant swinging country-rock. Anna is now back with her second 7" accompanied by her Italian-garage All Star backing band (Movie Star Junkies and Mojomatics members) and she delivers three more heartfelt retro-rockers. "In the Wood" takes an uptempo country shuffle and augments it with some classy keyboard and ringing guitar making for a catchy and sexy A-Side. The B-Side adds "May", a playful and twangy serving of country-garage and her version of the gospel traditional "Trouble in My Way" is again cut directly from the Golightly playbook, but done with just as much, if not more, endearing panache. More of a good thing is always welcome on my turntable, and Anna exudes sexiness but isn't relying on it to sell these songs. She has talent to get by on, and the sex appeal just makes it that much better. Released on the new and improved Fat Possum label, who are trying hard to be a relevant label with their recent slate of new releases. (RK)

SMASHIN´TRANSISTORS Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) My guess is that this Italian band took their name from the JG Ballard short story collection and not the Buggles song of the same title. Guessing this cuz it doesn't at all sound like the Buggles. Oddly enough though Ballard's usual world of Dystopia is not as glaring as usual in the characters or storyline's of that particular collection. It's much more organic but still has it's share of impersonal mechanical doubts. The Vermillion Sands sound like they were hired to have hands on the gears that move them at their own timing and pace cuz, well, they may shamble but get the job done at the end of the day. The frilly lace fop folk of T. Rex's "A Beard Of Stars" album finds itself washed ashore. A sun kissed beach girl takes it home, nourishes it back to health on a steady diet of Jane Birkin, the Headcoatees then some Kraftwerk to balance the earthiness. Next it out to picnics in a park of rolling hills and wild flowers til finally these three songs of summer music were ready to be heard.(Dale)

DUSTED MAGAZINE Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Vermillion Sands may be from Treviso, Italy, but that doesn't stop the quartet from churning out solid American-styled garage meets country-rock'n'roll. Fronted by the Italian version of Holly Golightly, Vermillion Sands' single "Mary" is a catchy as hell garage-pop number with a killer hook, swinging bassline, weird electronic manipulations, and a tough fuzzed-out guitar set off by the snarly infectious vocals of lead guitarist Anna. The edgy single has had me hooked by the balls from the opening line of "Oh rainy days well I can't stand you any more…" Sorta like another "Mary" that I know. The country-rock'n'roll b-side "Wake Me When I Die" reveals more of the Golightly and Johnny Cash Americana influence with a twangy guitar and trudging rhythm section. The 7" is out now via Italian imprint RIJAPOV records.

STYROFOAM DRONE Hey friends, how’s it going? It’s raining right now in Philadelphia. That doesn’t make me happy. Hopefully the weather is better in your town. So who remembers the Vermillion Sands? They’re a folky, gritty female-fronted band that come all the way from a place called Treviso in Northern Italy. And I’m sure it’s a beautiful place, unlike where I am today. So we have been following a handful of the releases from the Vermillion Sands, including their latest “Miss My Gun” EP, and one of their earlier efforts, the “Mary” 7? that was put out on Rijapov Records. Now in 2010, we finally have a full length release from these Italian garage rockers, and you can find it over at ALIEN SNATCH! Records. My guess is that the full-length is a culmination of all of these smaller releases from the band, but I only recognize two songs on the tracklist. Either way, I’m sure the record will still be overflowing with the folky-garage pop sound that is the Vermillion Sands, along with the nasally voice of lead singer Anna Barattin……Just like this “In the Wood” 7? that I have been neglecting to comment on. It has three new songs that you may or may not have heard up til now, with one of them being the opening track on the forthcoming full-length we were just talking about. That song is simply called “In the Wood”, and it kicks off quickly with a fuzzy synthesizer. It almost gives you that feeling that you’re actually in the woods somewhere, but that’s up for you to decide. Whenever I try to host an mp3 on the blog, it usually fails miserably, so I’m going to point you in the direction of their MySpace so you can hear “In the Wood”, just click that last link. It’s one of the first songs they have on their for your listening pleasure, so please do yourself a favor and check it out.(ZC)

SOUNDFLAT MAILORDER In the Wood 7"EP (FAT POSSUM) Killer 2nd 45 by this band from Treviso in sunny Italy!!! Just imagine a mix of Fabienne DelSol/ BRISTOLS style vocals/music with bands like THE MOJOMATICS or LOVE BOAT!! With the charming vocals of singer & guitarplayer Anna this 45 will not only please the Army of Girl-Band lovers, but also all fans of Blues inspired Garagebeat'n Punk! 3 tracks pressed on shiny black wax, the way it should be!! (Lutz)

FRICTION Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Freewheelin' folk-garage strum with strong, multi-tracked female vocals. They're from Italy, I think, gauging from singer Anna's accent, but their grasp on this particularly American style of music is full, and the results are very satisfying. "Mary" is the strongest cut here, kind of bringing the same sort of reckless, playful vibes that the RTFO Bandwagon single did – big barnstorming riff, and a swinging, lackadaisical gait about the rhythm section. "Wake Me When I Die" inches towards another tradition – the girl group, as realized by thee Headcoatees, and Holly Golightly manages to shadow all three tracks here in the same instinctive ways. Excellent work, can't stop listening to it.

7/10/12 Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) The Vermillion Sands 7" has been a favourite around 7/10/12 HQ for the last few weeks, and I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to articulate what I like about it, other than the fact that it sounds exactly like the kind of record I like, and exactly the kind of record that you might like as well. Both of the songs on the b-side make me salivate over the kind of alternate-universe, “what-if” scenario of country music taking the path of stripped down garage shakers instead of the slick, pandering road it took. The A-Side “Mary” is easily one of my favourite songs of the year, a song that is so palatable and fun that I can’t help but leave it on repeat. Like this to the point that I went through the effort to do my own vinyl rip. Essential 7" here, and I predict it being on a bunch of year end “best-of 2008? lists.

STYROFOAM DRONE So we have been covering a lot from Italy’s own Vermillion Sands over the past few months. It all started with the Mary 7? that totally caught me off guard, and ever since then we’ve been following the Vermillion Sands and whatever they put out next. As of lately, the Vermillion Sands released their first full length, and almost at the same time they put out yet another 7" record. This most recent 7? was put out by Hell, Yes! Records, located in Venezia, Italy. The 7" is pretty short – it barely clocks in at over 6 minutes long. Although it is short, it features two brand new, never before heard songs from our friends the Vermillion Sands. On the A-side we have the song “Something Wrong”, that has quite a familiar sound to it. There is that galloping bass line that comes out in many of the Vermillion Sands songs, as well as Anna Barattin nasally singing voice. Many times throughout the song we’re face to face with a squealing guitar riff and the quick roll of the snare drum. Within the last minute of the song the lead guitar joins the rest of the gang, playing a rusty guitar hook along with the squeal of the guitarist who is credited as “Krano”. Flipping over to the B-side, things change pretty quickly. The A-side was faster, more upbeat, and almost at a walking pace. On the B-side they slow things down a bit, almost as if they’re playing outside on an extremely humid summer day. The song is dominated by slow, lazy sounding lead guitars that are sliding up and down all over the place. Once you reach the middle of the song (and at the end) there is a jangly, ear piercing guitar noise that’s not entirely obvious on how it’s being played. Definitely a mysterious sound there. It works wonders for the song, because as a whole it’s in sort of a dazed state. The fade-out at the end also adds a nice touch, because the song never quite reaches a conclusion, which adds to that mysterious vibe throughout the track. Check out the mp3's below! Thanks for reading once again! (ZC)

FUSETRON Miss My Gun 12"EP (Sacred Bones ) On “Miss My Gun,” their brand new EP for Sacred Bones Records, Vermillion Sands play dark, jangly rock with a distinct Wild West edge. But have no fear: after one listen you’ll realize there’s nothing hokey or trite about the Treviso, Italy-based group’s sound. In fact, they’re more than capable of sexy, sneering, ultra-catchy tunes and badass blues riffing. And all of it's topped off with oft-overdriven, totally spot-on female vocals.

SHAKE YOUR ASS Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Brand new band outta Italian north-east which is a real breeding ground for talented musicians. Three brilliant garagey tunes with some psych and pop taste and female vocals. Mojomatics also are involved into recordings and some disturbing electronic junkie in the air such as ghost.

ROCKET REDUCER Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Little bitta new wave hit here. The A is a tune that you'd hear on the radio in an alternate universe where people, like, listened to the radio to hear things they hadn't heard. Bitta Cibo Matto? I dunno. It's cute but not cutesy; pop but not annoying. College pop in the best sense of the word. Once some New Yorker with some money gets their hands on this, it's all over, and you'll be happy to have this, if you weren't already.

ACADEMY ANNEX NY Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Awesome girl fronted modern garage pop from Italy on Rijapov Records. Highly Recommended

VULCANIC TONGUE Mary 7"EP (Rijapov) Killer single from this Italian garage-punk group fronted by the irresistible vocal snarl and sassy country bounce of one ‘Anna’. Seen them compared to the whole Hangman cultus and supporting satellites, esp. Holly Golightly, but you might wanna think of em as a more swinging, hi-fi take on the Vivian Girls’ melodic garage classicism, with hook-dosed songs and a period-perfect production style that is pure Girls In The Garage. Highly recommended.

TBD Miss My Gun 12"EP (Sacred Bones ) Does Vermillion Sands The Band suggest Vermillion Sands The Book? Let’s talk about this for a sec, because there’s something both tactile and intangible here: a sense of ownership over a place that doesn’t actually exist. To me, the beach-bizarre J.G. Ballard collection (set in a fictional resort town of the same name) has always floated in the same sea with, say, Oni Ayhun’s electronic, sub-tropical detachment. But listening to the visceral country-garage of Miss My Gun, I have to wonder if my Vermillion Sands hasn’t been completely misguided. If maybe the place wasn’t creepy cold so much as hot, bluesy, desperate—their Vermillion Sands, a new one, rendered as sultry dystopia.Because it’s totally a dystopia, make no mistake. All pseudo-intellectual bullshit aside, Miss My Gun has something dark bubbling just below the surface, something far more tortured than its Johnny Cash and Stevie Nicks jangle really lets on. Maybe it’s just the very real disconnect of an Italian band creating what is, at least in theory, very American music. Or maybe it’s just the sort of frantic back and forth between haunted garage and warbly honky-tonk. Either way, think about it like this: Vermillion Sands is the band Quentin Tarantino hasn’t discovered yet. It’s the perfect backdrop to one of his girl-centric bloodbaths simply because you can’t quite figure it out. “Where Was He From” is hinged on the familiar whine of a harmonica, and yet it feels so strangely alien. “I’m A Little Mixed Up” captures the clangy Old West with its detuned, hollow piano—an American reference point if ever that was one—but it’s too airy and sloppy to really hit the gold rush point. Besides seeming whiskey-fueled, dangerous and sort of haunted, Vermillion Sands completely eludes.And that’s exactly why Miss My Gun is so intriguing. I mean, it’s also why we read J.G. Ballard, right? That sense of ghostliness, of not quite understanding who this person is or why, and especially not what they’ll do next. Had Miss My Gun moved past the drunken dance of last track “Disappear Chanell” (with its unsettling music-box-winding-down ending), it might’ve become the epic sub-tropical Vermillion Sands of my imagination. Or it could’ve erupted into a full-on nightmare dystopia. There’s no way to know; both Vermillion Sands The Band and Vermillion Sands The Book leave every gap solely to your imagination.

ITALIAN

ROCK IT E dopo "Mary", l'intrigante 45 d'esordio dello scorso anno, ecco ritornare più fresco che mai l'arruffato country-folk dei Vermillion Sands: per l'occasione è niente meno che l'americana Fat Possum a dare fiducia al quartetto stampando questi tre nuovi pezzi che, ancora una volta, miscelano trans-genicamente il sapore robusto delle pannocchie della campagna Yankee al gusto dei più pregiati acini dei vigneti veneti. Ci troviamo per le mani un frutto atipico ma succoso quindi, che sta inaspettatamente maturando in fretta: e sarà anche per la dolce voce svogliata di Anna che continuiamo a seguirli come topolini stregati tra boschi vergini e falò sotto le stelle, rievocando stavolta la frontiera con il gustoso traditional "Trouble In My Way", che è stato anche il primo pezzo mai inciso dal gruppo. Insomma, con i Vermillion Sands l'appetito vien proprio mangiando: aspettiamo l'album per la consacrazione definitiva (scusate, forse sarò retrogrado ma con due 45 giri così curati non si può non pretendere un 33 da favola)

RUMORE Immagino che sia motivo d’orgoglio esser riusciti esser riusciti ad incidere per una etichetta really american come la fat possum . Voglio dire che già solo questo fatto dà ai Vermillion Sands, che sono italiani (il bassista Nene suona anche nei Movie Star Junkies), una bella patente di autenticita, infatti questo primo singolo è da manuale. Per l’ambientazione (i boschi selvaggi) e per lo stile folk-punk, se devo proprio paragonarli a qualcuno, bè a me sono venuti in mente i Demon Claws, per tutti caracollare un po’ trasandato in quello spirito vagabondo indomabile che portano dietro. Con la differenza che qui la voce è della deliziosa Anna. Tre brani trascinanti con inevitabili riflessi garage-fuzz, compreso il traditional blues Trouble in My Way” (CS)

BLOW UP Che dire, è una piacevolissima sorpresa questo singolo dei Vermillion Sands, ovvero Anna alla chitarra e voce più membri di Mojomatics e nei Movie Star Junkies a completare la line-up. Mary è una garage pop song per giornate uggiose, praticamente perfetta in tutti i suoi elementi. Wake Me When I Die e Would You Kindly Direct me To Hell? (un plauso solo per i titoli) completano un tris vincente: macchiata di fuzz la prima, pennellata di lapsteel la seconda, entrambe le canzoni flirtano con il formato country sotto l’imperturbabile guida canora di Anna, che nel frattempo si appresta a ricevere l’attestato di Holly Golightly italiana.(8)(FP)

GERMAN

OX Fanzine Was machen eigentlich Matt und Dav von den MOJOMATICS, wenn sie nicht auf Tour sind? Na, sie helfen ihren Freunden respektive Freundinnen, etwa Anna und Nene von VERMILLION SANDS. Die kommen aus Treviso in Italien und sind sowohl musikalisch wie geografisch nicht weit von den Mojos entfernt: Für mich klingen die vier Songs auf dieser süßen, roten Vinylscheibe wie eine etwas langsamere, verschmustere Version der MOJOMATICS mit der kleinen Schwester von Holly Golightly an Mikrofon und Leadgitarre. Einfach hübsch! Wie wäre es mit einer gemeinsamen Tour? (JH)

OX Fanzine RIJ012 -7” (Rijapov) Nicht wirklich eine Splitscheibe, sondern viel mehr eine Kollaboration ist vorliegende 7", haben die beiden Bands die zwei Songs doch zusammen eingespielt. Die VERMILLION SANDS waren mir bisher nicht wirklich bekannt, haben aber wohl schon was auf Fat Possum raus und eine Sängerin namens Anna, die Holly Golightly nicht unähnlich ist und auch schon auf dem MSJ-Album mithalf.
Von denen muss ich mir mal was besorgen. Was soll ich sagen, alles, wo MOVIE STAR JUNKIES draufsteht, begeistert mich komplett, und so ist es auch hier. Auf Seite A ein toller ruhiger Nick Cave-artiger Song, auf der anderen Seite wird's etwas manischer.
Annas Gesang stellt sich dabei ein weiteres Mal als optimale Ergänzung zum MSJ-Sänger heraus und fertig ist eine super Single. (9/10) (AS)

French

TRAHISON Cette petite italienne risque de bouffer des "genre Holly Golightly/Headcoatees/Delmonas" par paquets de douze. D'abord parce que son premier disque est vraiment nickel à tout point de vue, et qu'il donne envie d'en parler. Mais surtout parce que les garçons aiment bien chroniquer des disques de filles, même s'ils n'y connaissent rien et qu'ils ne vont pas chercher bien loin... Très beau début, donc, pour Vermillon Sands, surtout la face B avec le très 60's fuzz "Wake me when I die", et le country western classieux "Would you kindly direct me to hell ?", qui rappellent pas mal les trucs du genre Holly Golightly/Headcoatees/Delmonas... (PJ)