A super group of sorts before they even realized it,
Commander Venus was made up of Conor Oberst (
Bright Eyes), Tim Kasher (Cursive), Matt Bowen (the Faint), and Saddle Creek Records head Robb Nansel. In almost atypical form, the record sometimes sounds less like what the members later developed on their own and more like a slightly more emotional version of the
Archers of Loaf. Oberst's often pained vocals do dominate the record, but even they are often pushed over the line towards more guttural screams. Kasher also throws in an impressive vocal yawp from time to time, and mixed with the surprisingly brutal guitar tones the band comes up with, the results represent some of the toughest material these boys from Omaha have come up with. The Uneventful Vacation does sound like a young band still perfecting their style, but in its sloppiness is a lot of its charm. Like
Cap'n Jazz and other bands of soon to be indie stars,
Commander Venus have a raw untamed energy and though it overextends itself from time to time; numbers like "Jeans TV" and the vocal trading "Lock'n'Chase" are filled with the kind of infectious rock that makes a band truly endearing. Fans of any of the member's later endeavors should find something to love on this record, and by the end, anyone who is a supporter of noisy emotional rock will probably find something on the LP that they can really appreciate. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo