First and foremost, I wish the band would have kept the pre-release cover for Mordecai instead of the goofy looking one they ended up using. Anyway, this is a record review not an art critique.

Traveling by myself with five extra tickets because nobody wanted to go, I first saw Vanilla Trainwreck on a side stage at a Charlotte, NC Lollapalooza show, totally took me for a loop. It was a highlight of the day.

With a red face and strained look, the band surrounded everyone with wall of sonic guitar textures. When I asked for a t-shirt, there were no extra larges, and the girl selling them kind of looked at me like I was stupid. Maybe it was because I had long hair. Everyone in North Carolina has those short moppy haircuts.

One noticeable characteristic of Vanilla Trainwreck, before you even listen to their music, is some of the quirky and interesting song titles these guys come up with. Take "Sawed Off Shotgod," "Murderstar," "Collide-O-Scope," and "Telephood" for instance. Then there are three past album titles called Santaclaustrophobia, Sofa Livin' Dreamazine, and Sounding to Try Like You (my favorite).

Somehow, with a name like Vanilla Trainwreck, you would think the band would eventually close the door and walk into a pop, yet distinct, party. But on the latest, Mordecai, the nerdy foursome swoops down on the outer edges of hooks and catches without touching the force field. Reminds me of a yo-yo that doesn't want to "walk the dog."

There's a cerebral punch to "Alex," like a zoned out skater's headache after a serious half pipe smack. "Plain Smoke" and "Sister" (the first single) are almost normal with the structure of verse/chorus system. The layered guitars in the chorus of "Pearl" along with the melody line is really cool as Greg Elkins blurts "Take a look at this beautiful mess we've made."

There is more guitar gargle the rest of the way and some evident angst in Elkins voice. As for "Quagmire," I hate the machine manipulated vocals throughout the beginning and middle, but the instrumental sounds as if it could surface as a soundtrack to great indie movie flick. The bubbly part of "Kiss Me" that has Elkins going "If you kick me, kick me hard" is another cool portion of a maze of layered nostalgia.

Sure, Mordecai and Vanilla Trainwreck spread layers of sonic pieces. But they're not prescribing to these industrial or even sonic bands like the ones out of New York or Chicago. Mordecai can be a bit too tranquilizing at times, but at least there is no industrial disco thrash. It's a cool southern indie rock thing by a band that supposedly doesn't have the "I don't care" attitude. It's called "artistic development" for all you college radio types, and not market swaviness by the labels.

To steal a great explanatory tool from Gina Arnold (author of Route 666: On the Road to Nirvana), you might say Vanilla Trainwreck is the factorial of Husker Du times Dumptruck times Sonic Youth times Sherlock Holmes. (Add a few antique buttons also.)

Great disc. Start near the end and paly around from there.

Reviewer:  Bonn Garrett, courtesy of Flash Magazine.