Print-friendly Version
Album Review: The Virgins, "The Virgins" (Atlantic)
New York hipster quartet The Virgins ' full-length Atlantic debut is replete with fun, stylish '80s dance energy and gutsy lyrics about wealthy girls, scandalous love affairs and late night parties.
The Virgins might be America's answer to the UK's Hard-Fi. Throughout these 10 well-polished, fast-moving tracks, the urge to dance doesn't stop--be it in the form of We Are Scientists' giddy catchiness, The Strokes' cavalier swagger or a Franz Ferdinand-like frantic pace. The music is entertaining and easy enough for the tween scene, but raunchy enough for listeners who remember life in New York's '80s club circuit.
Just as Pulp's "Common People" was driven by a fascination with the wealthy (a female to be exact), The Virgins give their own examination of bling-donning culture on "Rich Girls" and "She's Expensive." Hard-life experience comes through with lyrics about cocaine brunches, sleeping in parks, casual sex, getting high, growing up and dead acquaintances.
"I want her legs, her body and her cash," sings frontman Donald Cumming on "One Week of Danger." His candid words are probably genuine, considering that he spent some time being homeless in New York. Heavy topics are veiled by peppy guitar chords and driving upbeat rhythms--covering them up the way disco lights disguise dark eyes and cigarette-stained smiles.
The Virgins have already had their music featured on the TV drama series "Gossip Girl" and, with this album, they can probably expect to get more play on teenage-minded shows. The explicit-lyrics versions, however, will certainly be retained for trendy nightspots everywhere.
