Theft of the Dial: The Wombats
by Bill DeVille, The Wombats and Scott Olstad
October 18, 2012
"If you were into the 'post-punk/new wave revival' of music that came out of the UK and flashed briefly in the early 2000s (Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Maximo Park, The Futureheads), The Wombats are like those bands but before the hangover, with enough sauce in them to make the tongue sharp and the arrangements witty." That's how Program Director Jim McGuinn described the Liverpudlian band's sound in his CD of the Week review from 2011.
The Wombats — not to be mistaken with our Wombat, David Campbell — quickly rose to prominence in the UK after their debut album, The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love Loss & Desperation went platinum. The group altered their sound for the follow-up release, but the spirit of the band remains the same. As Jim McGuinn points out in his review, "listening to The Wombats makes one wistful for a little courage or the foolish ambition to tour the world with your mates and think you could actually get away with it."
While in town to play at the Triple Rock Social Club, The Wombats visited the studios of 89.3 The Current to share showcase what The Current would sound like if a couple of blokes from Liverpool were in charge.
Playlist
1. The Wombats — "1996"
2. The War on Drugs — "Baby Missiles"
3. Bloc Party — "Kettling"
4. Elliot Smith — "Ballad of Big Nothing"
5. St. Lucia — "Closer Than This"
6. Dinosaur Jr. — "Feel the Pain"
7. Bon Iver — "Beth, Rest"
8. The Wombats — "Techno Fan"