The Wake

Vampire Hands - Me and You Cherry Red

Lock up your children because Vampire Hands are coming to get you! While visions of gaunt, bony creatures shrouded in cloaks and pining for blood are probably filling your head, there is no need to panic. Seriously, stop the mad dash for the garlic and listen. Really listen, because Vampire Hands is one of the most promising bands on the Minneapolis music scene right now and are sweeping the nation with their infectious new release Me and You Cherry Red.

With a name like Vampire Hands, slow and heavy tunes reminiscent of death and despair flood the imagination, but the first track off of Cherry Red presents itself as a nice surprise. “Statuette” begins with a solid drum beat paired with the cheerful shaking of the maracas. Instrumentation throughout the initial half of the album remains upbeat and easy to move to.

The most outstanding feature of Cherry Red is the wide range of percussion that flows through the tracks. Each song delivers a beat unique in comparison to its predecessor. This is not surprising, since the band boasts two percussion players. The trap set, a rock band essential, is accounted for, but this fundamental instrument is coupled nicely with the sounds of jovial maracas, brassy tambourines, a powerful bass, and tropical bongos.

The fusion of all of these instruments occurs midway through the album on the track “Friendship Road,” which could be highlighted as the peak of the LP. Listeners in the rock mood fresh off the last tune, “Safe Word,” are in for a quick vacation to the Caribbean. The song paints a picture of a ceremony in a tribal community. The first minute and half is high energy as the quintet draws the listener closer to the fire to be initiated into the group. The suave sounds of vocalists Chris Bierden and Collin Johnson serenade the listener in attempts to hypnotize with the repetitious phrase, “Who will take it, who will take it, who will take it, now it’s gone, gone, gone…”. Once the listener is mesmerized, the tempo morphs drastically as the percussion fades, introducing drawn out notes on the guitar for the remaining two minutes. The listener is entranced, feeling as if his or her ears have been baptized as the song slowly progresses to an end. He or she is now a part of the Vampire Hands cult.

Following this rite of passage into the second half of the album, the melody is vastly different from the beginning. The instrumentals of the first portion of Cherry Red serve as pleasant introductions, being upbeat and more superficial then what is presented after “Friendship Road.” It is after this transition that the sound becomes deeper and more personal. It is as if the band trusts the listener now and provides them with a view into their heart and soul. The music becomes more experimental and entrancing as the guitar riffs become harder and the drumming solidifies.

Unfortunately, fans will notice throughout the album that the lyrics are hard to decipher. Bierden and Johnson’s singing is muffled throughout the album, especially toward the second half.

“We don’t necessarily put our vocals to the for [sic] front of our songs because we like it that way,” vocalist and bassist Bierden wrote on their MySpace blog.

The underrated Minneapolis music scene has prevailed once more, adding Vampire Hands to the long list of talented artists the area has cultivated. Catch all of their percussion action live on their tour across the nation, or go pick up a copy of Me and You Cherry Red. Do it or vampires will get you.