Album Review: The Virgins - Strike Gently
- Written by Danielle Gibson
Strike Gently is a whole different album from The Virgins' self-titled debut back in 2008. Although this is probably to be expected, as they have been away for a number of years. In that time they've moved away from their dance-punk origins and towards a more serious and mature sound.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ is very mellow despite having a fast tempo. This is partially due to Donald Cummings' vocals, which are particularly Iggy Pop-esque here. It’s as though the band have pulled together all the sounds of the ‘70s into one song with a guitar line that brings a surf rock vibe. But this can also be said about ‘Figure on the Ice’. Definitely a bunch of songs you can chill out to.
The general sound and feeling from ‘Travel Express (From Me)’ is a channelling of the ‘80s, with a bassline similar to The Police’s classic 'Every Breath You Take', but that constantly changes throughout so it’s as though they're reinventing their own 80s sound as they go along.
‘Blue Rose Tattoo’ is very country rock, with a mix of those ‘70s/’80s sounds that the album has. It’s very smooth and the twanging guitar really sets the mood, it’s one of those songs you can listen to without realising it and then wonder later on - “what the hell was that song?”. There is definitely some Dire Straits influence in ‘Flashbacks, Memories and Dreams’, if not across the whole album. From the vocals and guitar alone, Cummings sounds a lot like Mark Knopfler.
The Virgins are reinventing themselves with this album. Gone are the days of raunchy dance pop songs like ‘Rich Girls’; here we have songs like ‘Amelia’ which are much more thoughtful and serious. There's still plenty here to please long-time fans though, and the quality of the band's songwriting means that they're sure to pick up plenty of new fans this time around.
Strike Gently is released on March 25th and will be available from amazon
and iTunes.
