Artist Vicious Vicious

It’s a minor injustice to introduce Erik Appelwick as bassist for Tapes ’N Tapes and producer on the alt-rockers’ breakout, The Loon. In the last decade, Appelwick put out three stellar albums under his Vicious Vicious alter ego—2003’s Blood And Clover, 2005’s Don’t Look So Surprised, and 2007’s Parade—and launched tracksuit-wearing power-popsters The Hopefuls to a spot on The O.C. Not to diminish his TNT cred, but the dapper songwriter always seemed more suited for the wash of the frontman’s spotlight. VV tracks such as “Shake That Ass On The Dancefloor” and “Here Come Da Police” hotwired proto-crunk riffs and guy-in-his-underwear lyrical earnestness. Now, after a nearly five-year hiatus, VV is back with a new, eponymous record (supported by Martin Dosh and James Buckley), and Appelwick seems poised to retake center stage.  

Updated 02/01/2012