Sonic Space: Viet Cong

By Maya Poddar, The Dartmouth Staff | 2/24/15 11:56am

At this point, writing about Viet Cong’s new album “Viet Cong” (2015) is practically unavoidable for me. The Calgary-based band, who first came to attention with their EP “Cassette” (2014), is comprised of bassist Matt Flegel and drummer Michael Wallace —both from the now-defunct indie rock outfit Women, who broke up after an on-stage fight and the death of a band member —and guitarists Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen. Their new debut album, which has already seen strong reviews since its January release, continues to captivate and process the grief found in their initial offering.

In their variance, Viet Cong display a dedication to crafting sound that raises them above pure noise bands. Their songs have structure, making them more populist than the grimier post-punk scene. Take, for example, “March of Progress,” the six-minute tour de force that sits at the center of the eponymous album. “March of Progress” starts with a nearly industrial cadence that thumps along, and then allows the delicate plucking of strings to shift its sentiment. By its end, “March of Progress” features swirling keyboards that imbue the track with a dance party feel, not that anyone would ever place the track on a playlist for such an occasion.

In essence, “Death,” the 11-minute album capstone, is a tribute to former Women guitarist Christopher Reimer, the member of the group who tragically passed. The pressure in the song is intense and unrelenting —even compared to the rest of the rather stressful album. In it, there are no moments of repose. It is grief. It is a mourning dirge that culminates in a furious rage, leaving the listener a tad discombobulated

Despite their name, Viet Cong evoke no strong political ideals. They don’t blatantly espouse any social ideals, they don’t write loves songs and they don’t make any claims about life in 2015. For better or for worse, they focus on the creation of sound. It is refreshing to see four instrumentalists pull together a tightly controlled, quasi-experimental sound.

That said, Viet Cong’s new album might not fall under the category of easy listening. But it definitely falls under the category of worth listening to. The cool post-punk vibe of the act will at the very least increase your music cred.


Maya Poddar, The Dartmouth Staff