The Vaccines 'If You Wanna' & 'Post Break-Up Sex' (Live At SxSW, 2011)

The Vaccines seem to have suffered a bit of a backlash almost without even getting off the starting grid. They (or their advisers) followed the tried-and-trusted strategy for launching an 'indie' band by releasing a ridiculously limited 7" single on a small (genuinely independent) label even though they'd already been signed to one of the multinational entertainment conglomerates.

The 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)' 7" definitely created a massive amount of buzz - and a similar amount of ebay profiteering - and it's definitely a stirring tune. However, since their album emerged they've gone decidedly out of favour and Amazon is even hawking their album for six quid.

Admittedly, the album's not a ground-breaking classic, it may even be a bit of a slight, one-dimensional thing. There is, though, a clutch of decent tracks on there and the more I listen to it, the fond-er of it I get. The stand-out tracks for me are 'If You Wanna' and 'Post Break-Up Sex'.

'If You Wanna' has something of an Adam and the Ants stomp about it with lots of tom-tom rolls. It's topped off with a deliberately laconic vocal with a remarkable awkward lyric that somehow works in "Well, I don't wanna wake up in the mornin', But I've got to face the day. That's what all the friends I do not like as much as you say."

'Post Break-Up Sex' sounds like another song - especially the chorus - but I haven't figured out what yet. It's a laid-back, insidiously tuneful song. Again, laconic is the word.

Download The Vaccines 'If You Wanna (Live at South x Southwest, 2011)' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Download The Vaccines 'Post Break-Up Sex (Live at South x Southwest, 2011)' (mp3) (Mediafire)