There's nothing at all vague about
the Vague, a Columbus, OH, foursome that shimmers in its obvious love for all things power pop. On the band's eponymous debut, you hear a solid backbone of
Cheap Trick and
the Raspberries, all in the vivid Technicolor of a Partridge Family rerun. The Vague steadfastly and proudly remains a '70s relic, which isn't all that bad when it comes down to it, especially with tracks as memorable as "Track Three," which sounds like
Ken Stringfellow penned a song for Phaseshifter-period
Redd Kross. The
White Lion cover at the end of the disc sounds like
Bobby Goldsboro; draw your own conclusion. ~ Brian O'Neill