Viet Cong
by Viet Cong
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 73
  3. Negative: 2 out of 73
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  1. Hackskeptic
    May 29, 2015
    7
    This Calgary four piece have produced some really interesting, shadowy and deep post punk creations. Although slightly uneven, the more you listen, the more you get locked in. A very promising debut.
  2. knoxvox
    May 11, 2015
    10
    Wait & see - this album will become a classic w time. It'll definitely end up being one of the best "rock" albums of the year - if not the most interesting. Calgary grungies done good.
  3. awesomness425
    Mar 13, 2015
    9
    Best album of the year (so far since March 13th). I don't listen to a lot of post-punk, but this album make's me want to. Now the album start's off with "Newspaper Spoons" which is a very strange song that is very dark and gloomy and make's the listener feel like this is the sound that will come from the album and i think that the song is in a interesting concept and isn't half bad. ThenBest album of the year (so far since March 13th). I don't listen to a lot of post-punk, but this album make's me want to. Now the album start's off with "Newspaper Spoons" which is a very strange song that is very dark and gloomy and make's the listener feel like this is the sound that will come from the album and i think that the song is in a interesting concept and isn't half bad. Then we have "Pointless Experience" which is a great song with a fairly good chorus you could get stuck in your head. Number 3 is "March of Progress" which is um..weird, but then again i feel like it works well with the tone of the album and i think it is a cool concept. "Bunker Buster" is definitely a catchy song that's shows off like hey the rest of the album will be catchy as **** "Continental Shift" start's off fing amazing and i love it and Silhouettes and everything about this album is pretty good by this point. Then you realize this album only has 7 tracks this is terrible. You notice that the last track is 11 Minutes long and you think "wow this is probably just filler". YOU ARE WRONG. Death is the best song off the track and is a damn masterpiece and is one of the best songs i have ever heard. This album would have been an 8 if not for that song. It reminds me of all these epic songs that are 8-12 Minutes long that you can't get enough of. It's Intense..The other song's are great and Death is a masterpiece....buy it.… Expand
  4. Noiseblock
    Feb 24, 2015
    8
    Viet Cong prove that they can live up to the expectations that inevitably came with the status of being the spiritual successor of the praised band Women. Ultimately, the self-titled debut album of Viet Cong is a post-punk behemoth with a ferocious drive behind all the bleak lyrics, mostly expressed through loud guitars and military sounding drums mixed with a healthy portion ofViet Cong prove that they can live up to the expectations that inevitably came with the status of being the spiritual successor of the praised band Women. Ultimately, the self-titled debut album of Viet Cong is a post-punk behemoth with a ferocious drive behind all the bleak lyrics, mostly expressed through loud guitars and military sounding drums mixed with a healthy portion of experimental synths. It definitely raised the bar for any album to come after it.… Collapse
  5. stopmakingsense
    Feb 1, 2015
    8
    Their 2013 debut EP Cassette was OK but it didn't exactly leave you thinking that this band had any great potential. That all changes on their self-titled debut LP Viet Cong. At just over 35 minutes and containing seven tracks, it's great a mix of lo-fi noise, post-punk and art rock. Containing a good balance of repetitive noise grooves, dark hooks, as well as some nice twists and turnsTheir 2013 debut EP Cassette was OK but it didn't exactly leave you thinking that this band had any great potential. That all changes on their self-titled debut LP Viet Cong. At just over 35 minutes and containing seven tracks, it's great a mix of lo-fi noise, post-punk and art rock. Containing a good balance of repetitive noise grooves, dark hooks, as well as some nice twists and turns thrown in there which keeps things interesting. The album is heavy, energetic, passionate and imaginative, with tight song writing and great production. You can hear the obvious influences of 1980s's noise/art rock and post-punk (Wire, Sonic Youth etc.), but the album is more than just an attempt to copy and paste the sounds of that era into the modern one. Not many bands come along that stand alone, completely separated from their influences. What matters is what they do with them and Viet Cong do a fine job of refashioning these sounds into their own. You can also hear that the band is made up of two former members of Women (bassist and drummer), though Viet Cong are definitely less of a challenging listen. An excellent debut album and a nice surprise from a band for whom expectations were initially not that high.

    Stand Out Tracks: Bunker Buster; Continental Shelf; Silhouettes    … Expand
  6. CiphirSol
    Jan 27, 2015
    9
    This is a very tight, energetic collection of songs. Viet Cong has some great synergy and are capable of working some real post-punk magic. Another band to watch.
  7. jyo_tirmaya
    Jan 22, 2015
    10
    I can't remember when I've heard music like this. My first reaction was a more amped up gothic band like Death In June. They also remind me of Ice Age, who are also making this kind of music these days. If, like me, you can't understand the lyrics or what they're singing about, just the tone of the vocals gives you the clue. This is a great album and comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
  8. Custom_Concerns
    Jan 21, 2015
    7
    Besides Continental Shelf, I don't think the songwriting here is anything to write home about, but the pure sound of Viet Cong is certainly well-designed and something to behold. I'm a fan of the noisy, punchy guitars and the Wolf Parade-esque vocals. I don't think it is quite as good as most everyone else thinks it is, but I still enjoy it quite a bit.
  9. tsentz
    Jan 20, 2015
    10
    This should be getting far more attention than it is. Sleater Kinney's new one is great too, but this surpasses it in my opinion for it's originality, and intensity. I love it, start to finish. Not a bad song on here.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 18, 2015
    40
    It's not fair to hold Viet Cong's hype against them, but an album this ordinary points to a generation of indie-rock writers trying, and failing, to pretend the bubble hasn't burst.
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  2. Mojo
    Feb 18, 2015
    60
    Viet Cong aren't quite home yet, but they're getting there. [Mar 2015, p.100]
  3. The Guardian
    Jan 29, 2015
    80
    An ambitious and rewarding debut.
    Read full review
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