When an artist is known for a particular aesthetic style, it’s often difficult for the artist to try something different. When this style is purely musical, as in the case of Jon Crosby, the founding and primary member of VAST, a dramatic change can also alienate fans. For this reason, VAST’s April is a sort of stylistic experiment. Leaving the bedrock sheen and trademark chant-samples of his early work behind, Crosby attempts a much more organic and acoustic album with April. Luckily, this new style fits VAST well.
VAST’s early work, such as Visual Audio Sensory Theater, relied heavily on drum machines and digital alterations to create distinct and identifiable compositions that would become Crosby’s signature style. “Touched,” VAST’s biggest hit to date, raised eyebrows with the mystical content of its lyrics and a dramatic hook fueled by one of the band’s trademark samples. This style was an integral part of all the subsequent albums until April, an abrupt change in direction for the band and a challengingly different musical endeavor.
Instead of highlighting the innate studio-production inclinations of a (practically) one man band, April feels refreshingly unpolished, less purposeful and, because of this, far more inviting than VAST’s prior work. Delving into Americana, much of the album is folk-rock or blues at heart, and Crosby’s warm voice lends itself beautifully to these genres.
“You’re Too Young” appropriately recall rainy days, and the track provides an elegant segue from the style of Crosby’s past work to his more adventurous songs later in the album. Delicately strummed acoustic guitar provides a folk-styled pulse that frames Crosby’s softly rasped tale of star-crossed love. Soft background voices and electric guitar are used as accents to the song’s lyrics, which never overwhelm or mask the track’s integral tale. More importantly, the slithering guitar rift that bookends the refrain evidences VAST’s comfort in this new territory.
Much of April is mid-tempo, which could have proven boring or uninspired, but in fact works in the album’s favor. None of these new songs breaks four minutes, which allows for entrancing experiments that incorporate various flavors without becoming tiresome. “Sunday I’ll Be Gone” is driving and passionate, highlighting the rich tone and dynamic range of Crosby’s powerful voice. “Frog” is a bit hard to digest at first listen, but proves to be one of the album’s greatest assets, anchoring slower tracks as well as being lyrically adventurous. The spacious rock piece incorporates Chicago-style horns and Crosby’s brutal yell that resounds in appropriately placed silences following the refrain.
VAST also tries its hand successfully at alt-country and spaghetti-western with “I’m Too Good” and “Tattoo of Your Name.” One of the album’s only guitar solos helps to ignite a smoldering tale of betrayal, and, perhaps in homage to Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues,” the verses of “Tattoo of Your Name” build successively to a fiery finish. Another track, “Is It Me,” even explores some of the sounds of the Southwest, recalling Arizona’s Calexico in union with the melodic sensibilities of 2000’s Music for People.
April does fail to enthrall at times, despite the excitement and innovation present on much of the album. Soft balladry is one of VAST’s specialties, as their early success “Flames” made clear, but the group’s newest attempts, “Everything Passing By” and “One More Day,” don’t carry the same amount of emotional punch. But these slower tracks on April are beautifully written and melodically elegant and help to balance the album. These may be more suited toward longtime fans of the band, but certainly will still entertain the newcomer.
As a whole, VAST’s newest effort is refreshing and accomplished. April is varied in style and genre, unlike some of VAST’s past work, and this results in a passionate and exciting album that never fails to entertain. Jon Crosby is the best kind of innovator — he incorporates what was learned from old successes into his new work, and April is a wonderful listen because of it.
4 stars out of 5
