VANILLA MUFFINS – The Greatest Sugar Oi! Swindle CD

VANILLA MUFFINS
The Greatest Sugar Oi! Swindle CD
(wizzard-in-vinyl – Japan)

Swiss Oi! is not something I hear often but Vanilla Muffins could claim themselves to be from England and nobody would bat an eyelid. The band sounds as English as any other band who wanna go back to the late 70s UK without learning the intricacies of “cockney-dom”.

Musically it’s top energetic and melodic street punk filled to the brim with boisterous singalongs as expected. Melody-wise it’ pretty much later-period Cock Sparrer if there’s no Colin McFaull on vocals and the riffage picks a lot from earlier Angelic Upstarts while the buoyant feel on some songs pointed to early glam such as Slade or Gary Glitter!

The production is however ruefully far too polished for rocking punk rock, to the point that the drumming sounds plastic and the vocals sanitised! The playing is also precise, streamlined and lacking in raw grit. I like my punk rock with unschooled recklessness and you can’t find that here. Pity.

Maybe that’s why it’s called as “Sugar Oi!” in first place; an attempt to bring sweetened condensed milk, bubblegum and syrup into Oi! Well, if that’s the case the band may have found the formula.

Fans of Cock Sparrer would get foaming crazy with this but for me, a live and raw recording of Vanilla Muffins would be a better gift. Good pop songs though.

[rating:3/5]

[audio:https://thericecookershop.com/mp3_wp_rc/vanillamuff_myangel.mp3]
“My Angel” by Vanilla Muffins

vanillamuffins.ch | myspace.com/vanillamuffins
myspace.com/wizzard_in_vinyl

note: thanks to Min for the CD!