THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WAVE TO EACH OTHER

Not the best VdGG album, no. But their first great one? I'd say. I'm conflicted about VdGG's catalogue, but this album I very much like. It's got all the elements that would make up the remainder of their career: cryptic and varied lyrics, a sinister atmosphere, and an organ heavy sound with few guitar parts. The only issue I take with the album (and it's a minimal one) is that many of the songs seem to kind of, err, run together, so to speak. This is a result of, I think, the massive number of musical ideas afforded per song. There's nary a hook in sight, and riffs are also hard to come by. The result is about 40 minutes of music that feels like just that: 40 minutes of uninterrupted music. But that's not much of a problem when it comes to VdGG's whole aesthetic. They didn't make any songs that are as memorable as anything by GENESIS, RUSH, YES, or PINK FLOYD, but they didn't really need to. VdGG is about the holistic musical aesthetic and getting lost in the layered and intricate sound of the albums. So if you're looking for songs to sing in the shower, stay away. But if you want to just let the music wash over you, this album's waiting.