Foxhole - Vaureen
Background - “After the Walk” is the soaring second single that Foxhole is sharing ahead of the release of Well Kept Thing, the post-rock band’s first new album since 2006’s Push/Pull EP. Written under one of the live oaks that pepper Austin, TX, album opener “After the Walk” (which was mixed by the Grammy-winner Stephen Roessner and mastered by Bob Weston from Shellac) is an attempt to bring joy and elation to post-rock, a genre not exactly known for its bright side. A close listen reveals coins dropping to the floor as the song empties out, as well as a misplaced chuckle in a guitar mic at the break. It’s a celebration of friendship — the sort of excitement that comes not from swelling cymbals and cinematic guitars, but from being in the same room as old friends, who remember parts of you that you’d nearly forgotten.
Written across 12 years, five states and three countries, Well Kept Thing is a sonic autobiography, telling the story of a band growing up and journeying apart, while fighting against distance and the demands of adulthood to preserve their friendship. It's the culmination of more than a decade of writing, recording, revising and waiting. As members started new careers (as a coffee shop owner, a farmer and commercial fisherman, a creative director, an admission to MIT’s Media Lab), married, had children and continued their nomadic tendencies, with members living around the globe, each change brought a new perspective on a growing repository of ideas.
Slowly, a new writing process emerged, and with it, a new aesthetic. Emails and MP3’s were exchanged with scraps of ideas captured on phones and laptops. As those scraps became songs, they graduated to a server where a version control system tracked every change — syncing them to all five members and bridging disparate locations, time zones and work schedules. It was a rhythm that a different band might have found frustratingly slow, but played to the strengths of a group committed as much to each other as their music. Blistering drums, masterful melodic interplay, dynamic composition and a distinct smattering of brass — these are the defining qualities of Foxhole, a post-rock group of limited output but surprising longevity. And on their third proper album Well Kept Thing, the band builds on their diverse foundation to deliver a (mostly) instrumental album for the ages. WEBSITE.
The first of eleven tracks on next months album release 'Well Kept Thing' is 'After The Walk'. Foxhole might base themselves on mainly instrumental pieces however there is nothing lacking on this album. As the featured second single demonstrates, the bands ability to develop melodic and epic music focused around a post rock core is something they do with flourishing style. Sometimes it's the momentum and sheer power that stands out, then again it might be the more sensitive and pristine moments that grab you. What is certain is that the level of imagination and musical diversity ensures that with this collection of songs, there is never a dull moment.
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Background - Brooklyn trio Vaureen share their new single 'Stare Into The Sun' and announce the new album 'Extraterra' due out 26th October via Rising Pulse Records. Formed in 2011 in Brooklyn, New York, three-piece Vaureen are anything but straight-forward. Combining the off-kilter fuzz of mid-90’s grunge aligned against abreactive passages of noise, left-of-centre shoegaze and the bleak doom of psych-infused stoner rock, Vaureen create a brooding, nihilistic sound, steeped in a raw energy and honesty that could shake even the most apathetic listener. With an acclaimed EP behind them along with a number of US live dates under their belt, the band are now set to release their debut album ‘Extraterra’.
Vaureen’s forthcoming album exhibits their unique brand of ethereal yet intensely foreboding alt-rock, which could be equated to the sound of early-The Breeders meets Fugazi meets Chelsea Wolfe meets The Sword. Tracks such as ‘Stare Into The Sun’ showcase vocalist Andrea Horne’s sonorous and dynamic vocals while stripped back instrumentation seamlessly transforms into atmospheric shoegaze infused post-rock, driven forward by a powerful rhythm section. The entire album is flooded with progressive moments like this with songs evolving at every opportunity. You’d be forgiven for thinking the band might have some affiliation with Sargent House, but despite having these moments of beguiling familiarity their music remains entirely distinctive. Elsewhere, you can hear a much heavier set of influences such as on ‘Forms Beyond My Own’, where fuzz laced guitars descend into doom-inspired riffs, becoming more caustic, whilst also hinting at their more experimental influences.
Recorded by long-time friend and esteemed producer Aaron Bastinelli (Fun Sound Studio), ‘Extraterra’ sees Vaureen release their most dynamic and consummate material to date. Speaking about the album, Andrea Horne (vocals/guitar) says, “I came to music from an art background and I have a form of synesthesia. For me the album is highly visual. The title comes from my personal interest in spaces beyond direct perception, both within and without… like Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot and Charles & Ray Eames’ Powers Of Ten.”
Debut albums boasting the dexterity of ‘Extraterra’ are extremely rare. Vaureen refuse strict categorisation and in doing so have produced an incredibly textured record, which is all at once dark, pensive, expansive and airy, and will appeal to many both on and beneath the surface. WEBSITE.
'Stare Into The Sun' is dramatic and powerful to start with, it then proceeds to build with potency and intensity to a thunderous finale. A genre shifting rocker that is hard to pigeonhole, Vaureen have something very addictive going on here, I sense that the awaited album might pack some formidable material.
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