What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?

London imports The Vaccines sound like an early incarnation of the Strokes fronted by Interpol's Paul Banks, which sounds like an absolute blast if you happen to be an NME subscriber from 2002. But with so many similar post-Libertines acts gone by the wayside, these major-label signees put a respectable first foot forward with this name-checking debut, led by a handful of rabble-rousing singles that hit the UK in 2010. "Post-Break Up Sex" could be their ticket to fifteen minutes of fame; if nothing else, it's at least an audacious earworm. The spiky pop-punk of "If You Wanna" and "Norgaard" are the biggest winners, along with the bratty, ninety-second opener "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)." Unfortunately, things get sour fast whenever they slow down. In fact, the last ten minutes bring the whole party to a screeching halt, but bear in mind that this band only formed less than two years ago. You'll never mistake these chaps for The Buzzcocks or Gang of Four, but flash in the pan contemporaries like White Lies or Glasvegas could probably learn a thing or two.