New Clear Days

The Vapors were one of the more interesting one-hit-wonders that flourished and then vaporized during the dawn of MTV. The band rose solely on the success of their single "Turning Japanese," a disturbing pop ditty that strangely connects madness and masturbation. However, the band's debut, which includes "Turning Japanese," NEW CLEAR DAYS, boasts many other worthwhile moments. Underneath the band's English pop sound lurk strange references to and connections between Japan, war, adolescence, and insanity, all of which course through the album like phantom mental patients. The loneliness and isolation are palpable undercurrents--a sharp edge to the deceptively peppy pop framework.