ARTIST: Venus Verse
TITLE: Phazes
LABEL: Unsigned
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 195kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 24m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-00-00
RIP DATE: 2008-06-12
Track List
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1. Loving Arms 3:45
2. Dreaming Again 4:11
3. Not Quite Juliet 6:35
4. Whisper 3:29
5. Paris 6:36
Release Notes:
Everything that was old is new again. There are an increasing number of bands
that are taking that most maligned decade of music, the '80s, as their launch
point and making exciting new music. Venus Verse from Vashon just South-West of
Seattle are the latest to go this route.
Their debut EP has flavours of bands such as Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure and
even Blondie in it's recipe and it makes for a strange mix of nostalgic reverie
and modern indie excitement. Of the modern bands that you can hear in the mix,
Stars comes through strongest, although there is a definite trip-hop flavour
present as well. The use of male/female vocal dynamics on different tracks makes
for a diverse auditory experience that is never samey or dull.
Opening track 'Loving Arms' could be a simple love story, but the lyrics have a
dark undertow that is hightened by a bass line that could have been lifted
wholesale from 'A Forest' by The Cure. It's an impressive opener that promises
great things to come.
'Dreaming Again' opens with an urgent, hi-hat heavy drum loop and another
strident bass riff that keeps you deeply involved in the song until the suitably
dreamy vocals come in. This time the easiest influence to spot is Echo & The
Bunnymen, with the short, spiky guitar parts and strong keyboard section.
Next track 'Not Quite Juliet' is the first chance that the female vocalist has
to lead the track. Her simple vocal line is layered over a moody, repetitive
riff that manages to be both urgent and delicate. It's a long song that comes
across as trippy rather than epic.
Probably the weakest track on the EP is 'Whisper'. The band tries changes in
tempo and pacing that aren't entirely successful. Nevertheless it is a nice
enough down-tempo number.
The most ambitious track is the closer. 'Paris' takes the vague trip-hop
influences that have been present in the other tracks on the EP and brings them
full-bloodedly to the fore. When the track opens with a vibraphone riff and then
the female vocalist comes in over the top it's a heady feeling of Portishead
being covered by a cool-jazz band. This time the transitions into different
tempos are handled masterfully and later there is a bluesy guitar riff worthy of
Gary Moore. Structurally the track is similar to 'Paranoid Android', but the
sound is much more appropriate for a chill out room.
Overall this is an impressive debut that manages to fill the gap between the
early '80s and the early '00s. Particularly impressive is the bass work. So
often the bass is simply a rhythm scaffold for the other instruments to work
over, but in Venus Verse the bass comes to the fore early and often with
impressive results. When it can be done this well I'm surprised more bands don't
try to do the same thing.