This band cannot escape the fact they sound very similar to Blood Brothers. Sean Lenart and Carlos Luna have a dual vocal thing going on which kind of mirrors the squealy, frenetic vox BB are famed for – and throw in some odd time signatures and downright bizarre riffs, all mixed in with some HUGE melodies and you’ve got a band that, once you’ve forgotten their influences, verge on the side of brilliance.
The ending of ‘It’s A Ghost Town…’ is just sensational, disappearing slowly with a piano outro into seemingly nothingness, just moments after bouncing off the walls like a kid full of e-numbers. Each of the seven songs takes on it’s own identity, ferociously complex and unpredictable, yet still maintaining enough singalong moments to keep you interested in more conventional means. The borrowed ideas will begin to grate on multiple listens, but Victorian Halls are interesting and exciting and a bit different. Well executed, ‘Springteen’ is a good listen – even if ‘Crimes’ is a better record…