Vue's third album -- and full-length RCA debut --
Down for Whatever finds the band continuing in the bluesy garage vein of their previous work, albeit with a glossy sheen coating the proceedings. Sometimes this more expensive sound is for the worse, as on the album opener "She's Sweet," "Babies Are for Petting," and "Don't Be Yourself," which would sound a lot more convincing with some analog warmth and fuzz. "Prettyshapes" is downright defanged, which is too bad since the elements of
Vue's sound -- pounding pianos and drums, snarling guitars, and Rex Shelverton's sneering vocals -- are all in place. On the other hand,
Down for Whatever's polish gives the band a more accessible spin, all the better for sharp-edged pop songs like "Look out for Traffic," which comes across like a slightly rowdier version of the smart, tough-but-catchy sound that
Spoon,
the Natural History, and even
Vue's labelmates
the Strokes are also pursuing. Likewise, "Frozen Juice," "Do You Ever?," and the title track strike a nice balance between garage rock and pop, and between charging guitars and sassy keyboards. Brooding, downbeat songs such as "Take Two Kisses" find
Vue expanding beyond their sound's confines. Like most garage rock-inspired music,
Down for Whatever is most effective in small doses, but, overall, it's a decent summation of where
Vue have been and where they're going next.