Off in some mega-awesome parallel universe, Lady Gaga is the punchline to a bad joke and The Vaccines are bigger than the Beatles. Sadly, in this particular universe, even the gargantuan greatness of their debut effort, What Do You Expect From The Vaccines?, couldn't break the Vaccines in America.
Thankfully, the band's second album, The Vaccines Come of Age (US release date: October 2), shows the band to be just as headstrong and undaunted as they were when they turned the UK music scene on its ear last year.
For those music fans who wish more bands sounded like a cross between Joy Division, Sugar, and '90s-era Jesus & Mary Chain, it would appear that this UK indie-rock foursome took your prayers to heart.
"No Hope" sounds like Coldplay if Chris Martin had grown up idolizing Morrisey instead of Bono.
Close your eyes while playing "All In Vain" or "Aftershave Ocean" and you can almost see VJ Dave Kendall introducing the latest Vaccines video on a 1991 episode of MTV's "120 Minutes".
"Weirdo" is an infectiously care-free tune that recalls the Pixies at their most melodic.
Of course, no groundbreaking record would truly be complete without a gender-bending rave-up like "I Wish I Was A Girl", which picks up where Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" left off.