Times New Viking – Call & Respond
I’ve always thought that I should like Times New Viking. People whom I trust to have good taste seem to rave about them. They get compared to bands like Pavement all the time. Their songs come across as something akin to a lo-fi mess. The only thing is that I always found them to be too much of a mess. Ramshackle is one thing. Ramshackle to the point of having nothing to grab onto is quite another.
As such, I almost consigned this song straight to the bin when it arrived in my inbox. Lucky for me it had a title that made me press play though, as it’s really rather wonderful. I can’t tell what about is different from the previous TNV songs I heard, but for some reason this one clicked for me. The sound is still utterly shambolic, but it certainly has some charm, in the same way those early records from Malkmus & co. did way back when.
Times New Viking will release a new EP on 7″ and download only (boo!) on October 22. In the days leading up to that, they will be touring the UK and Ireland with Los Campesinos! and No Age as part of the Shred Yr Face tour:
14-Oct – Komedia, Brighton (£12/14 – 14+)
15-Oct – Carling Academy 2, LIverpool (£12/14 – All ages)
16-Oct – Irish Centre, Leeds (£10/12)
17-Oct – Whelans, Dublin (€13 – 18+)
18-Oct – School Of Arts, Glasgow (£10/12)
20-Oct – Electric Ballroom, London (£10 – All ages)
21-Oct – Fleece, Bristol (£10 – 18+)
22-Oct – Academy 3, Manchester (£10 – 14+)
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