Rock & roll has become an international language, so we’ve come to expect finding quality music from all corners of the world, even from those more often cited for their political and societal turmoil. Israel, for example, has been home to a number of bands we here at KCRW have supported, including MissFlag and Rockfour. The latest Israeli musical group to catch our attention is Vaadat Charigim, a trio based in Tel Aviv who play a heavy, effects-driven brand of shimmering guitar pop that happens to be the finest example of shoegaze of any young band I’ve encountered, and serves as another triumph for their increasingly-diverse label, Burger Records.
Perfectly grasping the ambitions of their musical predecessors of two generations prior, Vaadat Charigim use the tools first deployed by the likes of Ride, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine to create a sweeping melancholia that still manages to invigorate the listener with awesome sonics vistas. The new album, their 2nd, begins with an epic, ten-minute-plus track that builds and coruscates like a thunderstorm, setting a powerful tone for the record. Obliquely touching on the theme of existential boredom (the lyrics are entirely in Hebrew, which leaves much to the imagination of non-speakers), the record’s title more precisely translates as “The Boredom Sinks In.” But the music is never boring – it is more of a subtle reflection of the real-life experiences of a band who rehearses in a bomb shelter.
-Eric J. Lawrence
Tracklist:
- Neshel
- Hadavar Haamiti
- Klum
- Ein Li Makom
- Imperia Achrona
- At Chavera Sheli
- Hashiamum Shokea