vhs or beta: Night On Fire : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The bands that soullessly pillage the Eighties should listen to VHS or Beta and learn a thing or two about respect. Not only have these Kentucky natives studied the decade when a dude wearing kohl eyeliner was just goth and not metrosexual, they seem genuinely privileged to kneel at the temples of Duran Duran, the Cure and big-suit-era Talking Heads. As a result, their sound isn't retro but empathetic, and they improve on the best of the time -- and let the worst rest in peace. The title track of their latest, Night on Fire, grooves with rich chocolate bass, while flash-fire bursts of guitar and hand-claps light up "You Got Me." "Irreversible" keeps hold of its dance credentials, even as it spirals around an unsettling sadness. Indeed, the shadow of desolation that looms over this entire record makes perfect sense for this band grounded in the club world: Everyone knows you never feel lonelier than when you are in a crowd.