Viet Cong - This Heat inspired band from Ontario

I like this band a lot, but I have to say the name gave me pause. Not because it deters me, but because as a person who plays in bands you think what the name will mean or what could be done with it. Like if you're having a child are you really going to name him Adolf H. Smith for giggles? Or if your last name is Dripp you probably shouldn't name your kid Richard. Common sense. If the band was this politicized punk band I'd get it, but it seemed incongruous to me and semi-inflammatory with no point behind calling themselves that.

There's also a trend of ungoogleable names, with bands called Los Angeles Police Department, the predecessor Women, etc.

Preoccupations isn't great either, but it's not the worst.

 

As the linked article says, what if bands like Gang Of Four, Joy Division, New Order, Butthole Surfers, Anal *****, were starting out today? The mini tsunami of criticism levelled at Viet Cong would have been levelled at them. The internet is not always a good thing.
The new name really does suck.

 

Some wag on Facebook suggested they double down and call themselves HITLER.

 

More importantly...how about some new tunes?

 

Makes you wonder how

The Dead Kennedys

ever got away with it. Ted wasn't dead, yet.

 

Yeah, like, I'd love to keep tabs on improv group "College Girls Gone Wild," but...

 

The difference is that all these other "offensive" band names came out at a time where people who were offended would have had to get out a piece of paper, get a pen, think about why they were offended, write it down, get an envelope, by a stamp, go to the post office, mail it to the band or music rag and then wait a month to see if it would be published in the next month's edition. These days all this can be done in about 15 seconds.

Personally, I think that bands like Joy Division, Gang of Four, etc., came out today, there likely would have been a bigger controversy over their names. And I'd dare say some of them might have even changed their name (I know in Bernard Sumner's recent autobiography he expressed regret at their choice in names for both his bands).

The name Viet Cong was lame and comes from a time when bands used shocking names to get a bit of press. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I listened to their album despite their name, which always left a bad taste in my mouth. I guess one person's political correctness is another person's respectfulness.

 

Two things:

(a) The DKs existed before the age of Twitter mobs
(b) Unlike these guys, the DKs could tell you exactly why they went with their name and the meaning behind it.

 

I agree. What's in a name? If the next album is as good as "Cassette" or "Viet Cong", I couldn't care less what they are called.

 

Viet Cong, I mean, Preoccupations , has put a new track from their forthcoming album out there on the interwebs, with the new album due for a September release.

Preoccupations (fka Viet Cong) Announce New Album, Share "Anxiety" Video: Watch | Pitchfork »

Despite all this unfortunate fuss over their name (I'm in the camp of those who wish they'd kept their name), if this new track is anything to go by, at least they're still capable of making really good music. I am liking this new song.

 

Great track.

 

Good song, works well as a taster for the new album.

 

Can't wait. Great band!

 

Another track from the forthcoming Preoccupations album has been made into a video (back in July, actually, so I'm a little late to the party with this):



I think it's a really nice song! I'm looking forward to the album.

Edit: Whoops! Someone's already started a thread about this song: New Preoccupations(Viet Cong)song!! »

 

This album is amazing. As a fan of This Heat, I had to pick it up after reading this thread. Wow! Only seven songs, but what songs they are! Especially impressive is the last song, Death. Heavy stuff!

 

If those bands were just starting out today, they would have the advantage of not sounding like themselves...

 

Loving the new album. Out in HiRes at Qobuz...

 

Streaming it on Spotify this morning, sounds pretty good on first listen.

 

I listened to it through once on Spotify. Can't say I was that impressed with it but I did enjoy "Memory" quite a bit. I don't think I'm particularly fond of this modern noise/post-punk style popularised by bands like A Place to Bury Strangers. Once you've heard it done a couple of times it all starts to sound the same.

I got the impression listening to the Preoccupations LP that this record could have been made by any number of bands. There didn't seem to be much originality or identity stamped on it.

 

Oooh, got to disagree there, they don't sound much like Place to Bury Strangers to me (but maybe I need to listen to them again). Plenty of angular attitude in this band.

 

I suppose I liked it, because I like post-punk. There's a lot of this feedback and peddle fiddling stuff around at the moment (Savages, Dressmaker, Buzz Kull, etc). I guess I came away from Preoccupations thinking that I'd heard it already at many gigs at the Shacklewell Arms. Personally, I was much more enthused by Alex Cameron's Jumping the Shark (re-issued this week) and Ritual Howls' Into the Water. Neither of those records sound like this one but they're all tied in to the current post-punk revival.

Seeing as you're London based, more here: A New Dusk Public Group | Facebook »

 

Streaming on Spotify right now. I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. They generally sound more melodic on this album (which is always a good thing) and sometimes even pretty, but still plenty artsy, dark, and weird. They've dropped some of the This Heat and Sonic Youth-ish noise too. "Monotony" almost sounds like a Chameleons song!

However, I'm not so into the Bono-soundalike vocalist on the second section of "Memory." It's too bad, because the first part of that song is truly great, and the droning last section is interesting, but that middle section is Viet Cong, er, Preoccupations at their most generic, almost coming off like some arena-ready Coldplay (blech!!) song. Why did they do that?

I'll definitely be buying the physical product, though.

 

Bought the LP today, and: not only is it on nice clear vinyl, but apparently if you buy it at select indie stores (at least in Canada), you get a free 7" (while supplies last). I had no idea about this, so it was a nice surprise.

 

Where did you get it? I was planning to pick it up when I'm Downtown tomorrow and I normally go to Vertigo.

 

I got it at Compact Music North, and they apparently had a couple left as of 5 pm today.