Pop Art

Punk-chewed bubblegum rock, fronted by sex kitten Wendy James, proved a winning formula on Transvision Vamp's debut release, Pop Art. Despite proclaiming "The rules are...there are no rules" in the liner notes, the set follows the time-honored rock/punk formula of guitars, attitude, and a healthy shot of sex appeal: Nick Christian Sayer's guitar work providing the perfect complement to James' anthemic lyrics. At their best with exuberant outings such as "I Want Your Love" and "Revolution Baby," a nice melodic lull to the rollicking fun is provided by the well-honed ballad "Sister Moon." The second half of the album, however, begins to wear a little thin, avoiding the beautiful simplicity of earlier songs with some experimental punk rock ("Sex Kick") and ballads neither catchy nor deep ("Andy Warhol's Dead" and "Hanging Out With Halo Jones"). The light-hearted sounds and catchy hooks were further developed in their follow-up, Velveteen, but straying from the formula with Little Magnets Vs. the Bubble of Babble in 1991 ended public interest as well as the band. ~ Brendan Swift