Versus: CoD/S&D

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

few bands that i have listened for years can do no wrong in my mind. this is one of them. ep's/lp's..everything has something i cant get enough of... as i have never heard them mentioned here i suppose i'll get a responce like the candlebox CoD. but intead of a single these people have a good discography. enough, CoD/S&D..

― Kevin Enas, Thursday, 17 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic? Maybe, but I hesitate to lift them that high. But most certainly not a dud.

Most of the people that speak up on Versus always seem to say, "_The Stars are Insane_ was their BEST album". Which is horsecrap. I'd have to go with both _Secret Swingers_ AND _Two Cents Plus Tax_ as their best. MUCH better songwriting - say what you will about lyrical importance, but I'd prefer lyrics to (at the very least) NOT make me cringe & shake my head. _The Stars are Insane_ made me do that a few times, before I got over myself.

But, yeah, I'd have to pick _Secret Swingers_ out of all as THE one to Search. "Mercy Killing", "Lose That Dress", and a bunch of other swell songs. Being the geek that I am, I totally love the fact that "Mercy Killing" shamelessly copies the ending of Wire's "Mercy". Self-referentialism (if done well) is always a good thing.

― David Raposa, Thursday, 17 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm probably going to be in the minority here, but I really like Hurrah (actually my first Versus album): the songs are pretty catchy after a few listens, and I found myself humming along to a lot of it (which I don't often do). Secret Swingers was my second, and I found it very similar, and thus I enjoyed it. I got a listen to Dead Leaves at the used store, however, and it had that Teenbeat/Simple Machines indie sound that I've really gotten tired of. I suppose that it's not a bad release, but it didn't really distinguish itself in any way that I could see on a cursory listen. But I'll probably go back through the catalogue and pick up more of their older stuff.

― Sean Carruthers, Thursday, 17 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

never heard any versus but i saw lysoll wayne or wysoll lane or whatever his name was play a solo acoustic show and he was tragically awful. verus is popular among the indie rawk kids which means they probably suck, much like beulah or spent or fountains of wayne.

― keith, Saturday, 19 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

I agree with the nod for "Secret Swingers" and "Two Cents..." as being the best Versus albums. There are some great moments on "Hurrah" as well, although its not as consistently great as the two albums previously mentioned, IMHO.

Def. a great band, and as far from DUD as possible.

― md, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three months pass...

I've got pretty much all of the Versus stuff, and although I think "Stars Are Insane" is probably the most consistent, I tend to listen to "Two Cents" the most, followed by the "Afterglow" EP. "Secret Swingers" had a few too many skippers for me.

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 5 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Versus is coming to town really soon, im very excited! Secret Swingers is probably my favorite album, but the Afterglow EP was incredible! I think SW had so much more intensity than the rest of the albums. The Afterglow EP was great too.

― Yuriy, Monday, 16 December 2002 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought I heard they ceased operations for good. I am glad that was a lie.

verus is popular among the indie rawk kids which means they probably suck, much like beulah or spent or fountains of wayne.

beulah & spent = fucking awful; fountains of wayne = bad; versus = grebt

― Aaron A., Monday, 16 December 2002 03:13 (twenty-two years ago)

On the Versus tip, Baluyut's +/- record on Teenbeat is one the best things the label has released for ages, and was definitely underheard this year.

― paul cox (paul cox), Monday, 16 December 2002 04:47 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

Just rocked the fuck out to The Stars Are Insane. Man "Circle" and "Be-9" still sound great after all these years. I always loved cranking this record loud as fuck back in the day. Can't believe no one ever mentioned Let's Electrify!

― Sir Echo (Sir Echo), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 07:03 (eighteen years ago)

let's electrify is a good EP but it seems to lack the personality of 'the stars..'

i haven't listened to versus in ages, i should rectify that..

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 07:42 (eighteen years ago)

Isn't it also still out of print (meaning it's not as well known)? I finally gave in and sold my copy a few years ago, realizing that I could live without the packaging. Love that one song "That Girl's Gone."

My main memory is that they used to blow Small Factory off the stage, which seemed impressive to me at the time. I'm not sure what to think about them now...they feel like part of an era that's *very* over. I always wished they had better drumming on their albums (better=more like Keith Moon, which I always thought would have worked well on the noisier stuff).

― dlp9001 (dlp9001), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 10:20 (eighteen years ago)

Lotta good memories attached to Secret Swingers. Good album, good band. I had a Versus T shirt in college. How perfect. Anyway, yeah, they'r definitely at the top of that particular heap. Containe or whatever Fontaine's band was called was pretty rough, though.

― Juan Milius (Roger Fidelity), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 10:49 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

Just listened to "Hurrah" for the first time in years. While it's not their best there are some fantastic bits on there, definitely not as bad as it's rep.

New album coming out in August, too, on Merge!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 20 May 2010 16:34 (fifteen years ago)

'Yeah You' is a perfect indie rock song.

― Davek (davek_00), Thursday, 20 May 2010 16:44 (fifteen years ago)

Secret Swingers and the earlier Stars are Insane.

My sort of indie. Ten years ago and possibly still now if it's still around?

New Album!? Will deffo seek

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Thursday, 20 May 2010 18:56 (fifteen years ago)

one month passes...

new elpee deets

http://www.mergerecords.com/store/store_detail.php?catalog_id=714

― the dolly doctor movement (electricsound), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 02:15 (fifteen years ago)

Niceeee

― Evan, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 04:27 (fifteen years ago)

Liked them opening for Unrest in DC. I hadn't paid attention to them in forever. Liked the additional musician on keys, violin and harmonizing (forgot her name, too lazy to google, not sure how long she's been with them).

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 15:20 (fifteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

album's out, gonna be hitting up emusic when i get home. anyone heard it yet?

― one more winner one less white hipster (electricsound), Wednesday, 4 August 2010 01:58 (fifteen years ago)

This prompted me to check on it (it's on Rhapsody). It seems nice enough, doesn't sound like any major departure. At times it reminds me of Poem Rocket (another band with decent guitars and overly polite vocals). Poem Rocket had better hooks on Psychogeography.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 4 August 2010 02:58 (fifteen years ago)

I just heard it today. First impression is that the songs are a little limp. Not really bad, but I was kind of disappointed. I think part of it is that they seemed to have lost the propulsive jangle quality of their earlier stuff.

― Evan, Wednesday, 4 August 2010 04:31 (fifteen years ago)

I just listened to it today and half the songs grabbed me while the other half seemed a bit meandering, or something. But first impressions are often misleading. The two vinyl-only tracks that came with my pre-order are good, too. Look, I'm just thrilled to hear Fontaine's voice again!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 5 August 2010 23:56 (fifteen years ago)

seven years pass...

This has always been my favorite versus song, I think I might be the only one
https://youtu.be/OiaXEmr5kbo

― ur-oik (rip van wanko), Friday, 10 November 2017 02:37 (seven years ago)

"Bright Light" is the tune I always really dug by them.

― earlnash, Friday, 10 November 2017 03:29 (seven years ago)

one year passes...

New EP, "Ex Nihilo" is 4 fantastic songs worthy of their legacy.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 6 May 2019 01:49 (six years ago)

agreed, it's great

― adam, Monday, 6 May 2019 16:04 (six years ago)

Seeing them open for Ex Hex soon!

― Evan, Monday, 6 May 2019 16:08 (six years ago)

wow, that would be a great double bill!

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 6 May 2019 16:19 (six years ago)

one year passes...

New EP, "Ex Nihilo" is 4 fantastic songs worthy of their legacy.

The album that followed it was really good too!

Anyway, just learned from new Big Takeover that the Baluyuts' earlier band Flower released an album this summer. Enjoying it so far.

https://flowernyc.bandcamp.com/album/none-is-but-once-was

― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Tuesday, 22 December 2020 05:44 (four years ago)

Yeah, that Flower LP came out of nowhere! And it's quite enjoyable, not a major work in the Baluyut canon.

The recent Versus album, "Ex Voto", is very good as well, though the EP is the best bits I think.

I hope we get more from Plus/Minus, I really love the creative arc of their albums.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 22 December 2020 13:41 (four years ago)

four years pass...

just noticed that secret swingers is on spotify now, i think it was missing until recently

― na (NA), Monday, 22 September 2025 14:47 (one week ago)

I wish this band would tour again

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 22 September 2025 23:01 (one week ago)

Yes

― curmudgeon, Monday, 29 September 2025 18:50 (yesterday)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.