'Miss Lucy' by Vee Dee

By Justin Schwier
Rating: 4/5
BLVD Records 7''

4/16/2011

The latest single from Chicago’s Vee Dee wasn’t an 'officially sanctioned' Record Store Day release, but BLVD Records made a limited edition single anyway! Two hundred copies of Miss Lucy were pressed on clear red for the lucky patrons of Laurie’s Planet of Sound (a record store where a band member and the label folks work at) to check out with the rest of their purchases. I’m slacking and have yet to pick up a copy of the latest Vee Dee LP (also brand new on BLVD), but I’m quite familiar with the previous releases on Criminal IQ Records.

The band plays urgent and occasionally, faster-paced psychedelic/garage rock. The songs this band produces; whew, they’re good, but not easy to describe. “Miss Lucy” leads this EP off and it's a dirty, bluesy, sludgy song - I love it. It has a good swagger to it and every time I spin it, it seems I enjoy it even more. The flip side has “Stone Zoo Wanderer;” a bouncy, propulsive song that sort of reminds me of The Doors (and that’s not a bad thing in this reviewer's opinion) maybe with a touch of Joy Division or The Damned; or maybe it’s just the way Nick D’Vyne sings the word “ceremony,” I don’t know.

This record has two songs highlighting the darker side of Vee Dee. They’re somewhat a hidden gem of Chicago’s music scene, too. Go see them live, they’re always fantastic, and track down their previous LPs and 7”. Buy the new one too and no one gets hurt.