Kicking Back

Bad Vibrations
Panel of Judges
Mistletone, 2008
4 stars

Slacker rock had its heyday back in the early ’90s, when Lou Barlow and J Mascis were still young men, networking actually meant “talking”, and kids scribbled on each other’s pencil cases and not their Facebook walls. Bad Vibrations, by Melbourne low-fi three-piece Panel of Judges, takes us right back to those heady days, with 10 short, sweet, and loose guitar-pop tunes. Paul Williams’ steady percussion forms the basic frame for the songs, with Dion Nania and Alison Bolger’s jangly, melodic guitar chords wrapping themselves around and around like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Vocal duties skip between Nania and Bolger, who also plays in local guitar-girl supergroup Beaches. Bolger sings on the more upbeat, kraut-ish tracks, while Nania’s laconic musings litter the laid-back, poppier tunes, such as the brilliant Perk Me Up, and sarcastic opener All This Could Be Yours, the album’s hazy high-point and a song for underdogs (with excellent musical taste) everywhere. These guys have been keeping a low profile for near on a decade now, all the while gathering a string of positive reviews - Bad Vibrations proves it’s still not too late to get on the band-wagon.

Artwork: B
I like the cover artwork - witches and palm trees, what a combo - and the band photo on the inside cover is a ripper.

Published in mX, Thursday December 11, 2008.