VMP Magazine

Our Album of the Month for November is the Books' The Lemon of Pink. In these original liner notes, Jeremy D. Larson writes about the transformative patience the record brings to bear on listeners, who are rewarded for unpacking its multitude of charms.

Youth culture is a powerful thing. It’s amazing to think about all the different permutations that rock music took on when it went out into the world, all the different tributaries branching off the main river -- if there ever even was a main river in the first place. And it’s especially amazing when you think about all the repressive, dangerous places where it took hold, where young people decided that this particular form of self-expression was worth whatever risks came with it. We’ll probably never hear most of what’s out there, but just the idea that places like Iran and Cambodia had flourishing psychedelic rock scenes -- it’s enough to make you feel good about the world, about music’s power to change lives.

The story of Wells Fargo is a refreshing taste of music’s transcendental qualities: Rhodesian boys, influenced by the streaks of Elvis and Hendrix and Marley, band together thousands of miles apart from their idols to soundtrack the revolutionary efforts of their lifetime. It’s classic in a sense that’s almost film-like, with their music being powerful enough to get the Rhodesian government to censor it and the secret police to forget their mission and vibe out. *Watch Out! *is a classic case of upbeat, unflinching heavy rock that serves as a tool to motivate its listeners to struggle.

Our album of the month is Wells Fargo's Watch Out! We had Matthew Shechmeister write the band's history, since they are basically un-Google-able, and it's important to understand for the context of the album.