“The music is refined and potent. These songs will stick in your head. They will make you move. They aren't cock rock, they aren't stadium rock, they are super-garage rock, vibrant and fiery. ” (Nate Ragolia, 2012).Vices I Admire is an alternative rock band from Denver, CO. Formed in 2002 in Fort Collins, CO originally under the name Plan B. The current lineup is Dave Curtis (vocals, guitar; 2002-present), Dan Battenhouse (bass, vocals; 2009-present) and Alex Simpson (drums, vocals; 2012-present); for performances, a second-guitarist spot is filled by various musicians, the most recent being Scott Uhl (of Glass Delirium).
Original members included: Curtis, Robert Marston (bass, 2002-2007), Mickey Dollar (guitar, 2002-2012) and Mark Towne (drums, 2002-2012). Marston was replaced by Dan Battenhouse (formerly of the Fray) in 2009. Dollar and Towne left the band in 2012 and were replaced by Alex Simpson (drums) and Tavis Alley (guitar) later that same year. Alley left Vices I Admire in 2013 and the band continued on as a 3-piece.
Vices' music is an amalgam of various influences and – though, decidedly rock – nods to hip hop, folk and funk. They have been compared to Panic! At The Disco, Foo Fighters, Foxy Shazam, Candlebox, Incubus, My Chemical Romance, The Matches, Queens of the Stone Age, AFI and even Prince. Their songs are generally guitar-driven, but also feature unusually melodic bass lines and colorful drum work. However, the defining sound of Vices throughout its various lineups are the personal – often cryptic – lyrics and vocal gymnastics of front man, Curtis.
Vices released their first album, Plan B. in 2005 – they changed their name to Vices I Admire in conjunction with the release and titled the album in honor of their original name. The album draws heavily from the nu-metal scene and bands like Deftones and System of a Down. “Monster”, the first single from Plan B., is traditionally used to close Vices' sets – as such, it is one of their most well-known songs, second only to “Sweetest Girl” (from their sophomore effort, The Politics of Apathy). The second single from Plan B., “By the Way”, won $5,000 in a contest run by OurStage.com (2007), is featured on the punk-rock compilation, Dagger Sight Records Volume II, and is the backing track to NFMan Productions' short film, Wedding Day.
Their sophomore effort, The Politics of Apathy was released in 2010. The album was well-received by local press and fans alike. Though it did present a departure from their original sound; where Plan B. was raw, fast and angry, ...Politics... was oftentimes reserved and thoughtful and more refined. Songs like “Kiss Kiss” and “Keep Killin' Me” maintained the band's tendency toward the heavier end of the rock spectrum; while the dramatic, piano-and-vocals piece, “Denouement: An Intermezzo” and the heart-achingly honest indie-rocker, “It Is” showcased a more adult and mindful writing style.
"The new album, The Politics of Apathy, from Vices I Admire, is a nine-song combination of two of my very favorite things: an array of different styles when the band can do it right, and raw, in-your-face lyrics."
- Steffanie Giesler, Colorado Music Buzz (Jan 01, 2010)
"...a great mix of precise musicianship, very emotional and polished vocals, well written lyrics, and sonic colors from many places in the musical rainbow."
- James (JJ Rocks) Johnston, St Croix Music (Jan 01, 2010)
The first single from ...Politics..., “Sweetest Girl” is the band's most lauded track. In April, 2010, it won a competition from WeAreListening.org which granted the band 3 months of distribution through Tinderbox Music. The track went on to be placed in MTV's “The Real World: Las Vegas” and on the Oxygen Network's “Bad Girls Club”. It also earned top spins on many college radio charts that year and has been featured on several compilation albums.
Vices' third album, Venom & Pride marked yet another change in Vices' musical style. Preceding the departure of two of the groups' founding members, Mark Towne and Mickey Dollar, it is a darker and more stylistically intricate work.
"Vices I Admire is but a humble group of four Denverites, who are slowly pushing their way through Shit Creek with a paddle made of pure Rock. Their new EP, Venom and Pride, is a 15-minute dash over white-water rapids and razor sharp rocks. It’s fast, it’s crazy, it’s fun." - Harley Patton, Indie Music Reviewer (Mar 02, 2012)
Vices fourth album, Fables (May, 2013) was the first album recorded and produced entirely by the band.
...go the spoils
Vices I Admire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're a product of my ministry, you are crushed on open arms, you will drown in open air prepared to heal your anemic heart. Old vulture, gnarled nemesis, old cavity re-tooled I want to drive a nail through your eyes so I can get a better view. A part of me longs to wash the past, yeah that part of me is weak, a part of me works to find the faults that part of me won't seek. Carry me home, you improbable ghost, I would rot by your flesh, I will gnaw on your bones--are you calling out my name? Elutriate and evanesce. I would gorge myself on praise if you praise this.
How do you smile? You are a mystery to me. You taught me by moving slow, you do not so quickly proceed. Still you're warm and gray, a quilted memory, you market yourself by the faded company you keep. And you were already here--a shadow on my tongue--yeah, you were already here and all alone like me. You are a blister from too much sweet, you're an ulcer from too much wine. You are dead, I know that you're dead, were you ever really alive?
The lyrics to Vices I Admire's "Go the Spoils" reveal a complicated relationship between two individuals. The first verse describes the singer's frustration with someone who constantly spouts off meaningless phrases and appears disinterested in listening to others. The second verse reveals a sense of dependence on this person, despite their toxic and predatory nature. The singer longs to break free from this dynamic, but fears they may never truly be able to escape.
The chorus serves as a reflection on the nature of the relationship. The singer refers to the other person as a "mystery," simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by their behavior. The final lines suggest that the other person may not even be alive, further adding to the sense of unease and confusion.
Overall, the lyrics of "Go the Spoils" paint a complex picture of a toxic relationship that is ultimately unsustainable. Through the use of intricate metaphor and vivid imagery, the song captures the emotional turmoil that comes with trying to navigate a difficult and confusing situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Your episodic aphorisms plague me like the poor decision to play the disinterested listener.
Your sporadic and wise sayings are bothersome to me because I pretended to not care about them. It's like being a child with an earache, hearing manipulated tones and tired words from someone who is expertly spitting verbs like a prisoner.
I'm like the old child that's grown an earache--full of manipulated tones, tired pragmatics that practice spitting verbs at their perfect prisoner.
I relate to being an old child with an earache, tired of hearing the same words and phrases from someone who expertly controls their language like a prisoner.
And you navigate that skill with an aristocratic arm, yeah, you brew your toxic fantasy with predatory charm, you are an a-theatric amateur who drools over every word but can't memorize one single part.
You use your skill of expertly manipulating language like a noble, but it comes off as toxic and predatory. You act like an amateur dramatic actor who is fascinated with words but can't remember anything.
And you'll get what can't be got, ain't gonna never be received. If you turn your back, boy, then you'll never leave.
You think you can have what you can't obtain and will never receive. If you walk away, you won't succeed.
You're a product of my ministry, you are crushed on open arms, you will drown in open air prepared to heal your anemic heart.
You are a result of my guidance, I accept you with open arms, but you are lost and struggling with anemia of the heart.
Old vulture, gnarled nemesis, old cavity re-tooled I want to drive a nail through your eyes so I can get a better view.
You are an old, greedy enemy, I wish to puncture the eyes of your deceptive persona to see the true you.
A part of me longs to wash the past, yeah that part of me is weak, a part of me works to find the faults that part of me won't seek.
Part of me wishes to forget the past, but this is a weakness. Another part of me looks for flaws, even if I don't want to see them.
Carry me home, you improbable ghost, I would rot by your flesh, I will gnaw on your bones--are you calling out my name? Elutriate and evanesce. I would gorge myself on praise if you praise this.
Take me with you, impossible spirit, I would waste away without your presence. I want to consume you, are you trying to speak to me? Disappear and reappear. I would relish in admiration if you approve.
How do you smile? You are a mystery to me. You taught me by moving slow, you do not so quickly proceed.
I am curious how you smile; your demeanor is puzzling. You taught me best by taking things slow, not rushing ahead.
Still you're warm and gray, a quilted memory, you market yourself by the faded company you keep. And you were already here--a shadow on my tongue--yeah, you were already here and all alone like me.
You are still kind but also melancholy, a cherished memory that is marketed by associations with faded memories. You were already in my life, a memory that I hold but still alone like me.
You are a blister from too much sweet, you're an ulcer from too much wine. You are dead, I know that you're dead, were you ever really alive?
You are like a painful blister from too much sweetness, or an ulcer from too much wine. You seem dead to me, but were you ever really alive?
Contributed by Leah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
fishtankfreak
I am pretty sure this song is about when you have the powdery dust and small uncooked ramen noodles in the package, rather than the full satisfying brick. Just a thought.