Vulture Whale [Ol' Elegant]

Vulture Whale: Jake Waitzman, Keelan Parrish, Wes McDonald, Lester Nuby.
Audio Mixer: Mark Rains.
Although bandleader Wes McDonald initially called this outfit Wes McDonald & the Fuzz, he was wise to elevate Lester Nuby, Keelan Parrish, and Jake Waitzman to equal status by renaming it Vulture Whale. The band's self-titled debut album demonstrates that it has achieved a group sound. That sound is heavily devoted to ringing, raging guitars, through which McDonald's whiny tenor cuts to present his sometimes quirky character songs. "Older Younger" is the tale of a May-December relationship; he's 78, she's 19. In "Rita," an old dog welcomes a new one to the doorstep "even though, now, I'm just the other dog." That acoustic number is a coda at the end of the disc, following the tour de force "Land It," which is more than six minutes of guitar fire, marking the high point of an entertaining collection of rock songs. ~ William Ruhlmann