Vaults are a band that have been circling around for a while, gathering a small but formidable fanbase waiting patiently for their debut album. I first became entranced by their music in 2014 when I heard their EP Vultures. Yet, this album release has attracted a mixture of fans, from those who have followed their music from day one to those who have discovered them through their cover of Randy Crawford’s song ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ from the 2016 John Lewis advert. While this mass exposure to the band's music is a blessing, the album being timed to coincide with the release of the infamous John Lewis Christmas advert increasing the sales of the album promotionally, their involvement with the John Lewis advert does not truly represent their usual dark and often haunting electronic alt-pop music. The heart of their music lies in their dark, twisted and polished musical style with lyrics that cut deeper than the John Lewis advert’s funny and Christmassy theme is willing to show us. With deep bass lines and haunting vocals Vault’s debut album stays true to the style they have been building up through their EPs for the past two years and in many ways does well to contradict the mainstream appeal the John Lewis advert has stirred up for them. Not only is the band’s talent echoed through the songs but knowing that this debut album was entirely self produced also reflects and gives a good indicator of the bands vision and the direction in which Vaults want their music to go. It is the polished production and meticulous and emotive songwriting where Vaults really excel, the album representing the broad variety and spectrum of songs the band can offer. From more melancholic, moodier songs such as Bodies and Orphan to songs that are more mainstream like Overcome and Midnight River.
It’s not like Vaults are completely unknown, their song One Last Night featuring on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack created an already growing buzz around them in 2015. Although their debut EPs Premonitions, Lifespan and Vultures were released in 2014, after featuring on the motion picture soundtrack to one of the biggest films of 2015, the band began gaining momentum and subsequently released singles Cry no more, Midnight River and Overcome to success. The album is expertly produced, with layers upon layers of enchanting vocals, sensational synths and electronica. One of the most unique things about Vaults is their ability to somehow create music that perfectly resembles the best of powerful modern electronic music today without sounding overly synthetic. The album seems so natural, it combines self aware and emotive lyrics with powerful electronic rhythms while at the same time keeping an organic quality. The album shows a perfected mixture of electronica and raw natural vocal talents, a difficult thing to achieve when considering electronic music at its core is highly synthetic.
Another thing that I really respect with Vault’s music is their tendency to not shy away from experimenting with different sounds and instruments. From sample pads and electronic drum kits to pianos, violins, cellos and an aluphone (a two metre long instrument that belongs to the mallet percussion family, it is covered in aluminum bells and is the primary instrument featured on the song Cry No More). Their tendency to use obscure instruments, rhythms and sounds in their music is exhibited well in this debut album and exemplifies their never-ending creativity as a band. This is a classically thrilling and wonderfully immersive electronica album wrapped in a mixture of choir like orchestral sounds, layered rhythms and tonal vocals. Yet the album also shows a dynamic edge, with the involvement of dark, often brutally honest and engaging songwriting as well as obscure instrumentation the album also presents an experimentation of the electronica genre. The album starts with previously released single in 2015, Cry No More. A deliciously dark and twisted song that is perfectly coupled with Blythe’s famously chilling vocals. The lyrics add to this tone and paint a vivid yet sombre scene (‘To wear it like a crown, to kick before you drown / Cry no more, I don’t want to die a little more everyday’). Combining fairly dark electronic rhythms with these melancholic and morbid lyrics creates a track that both appeals to the mainstream but is also a song that shows an experimentation with the electronic genre.
Songs such as Bodies and Orphans are much slower paced and packed full of emotion and melancholia that show a new diversity to the bands music. The track Bodies in particular from a songwriting perspective is lyrically brilliant, dark and incredibly self aware (‘Well I’ll tell you, it’s no secret I’m afraid that I’ve built myself so tall, no one will see me when I’m falling’). For me, what makes this debut so brilliantly beautiful and special is how the album shows the versatility of Blythe’s vocal talents and showcases the incredible control and mastery she has over her voice. Not only does the album show the capabilities of Blythe's vocals but it also exemplifies the bands confidence to experiment with mixing various instruments with dynamic electronic rhythms. The most prominent examples of this are seen within tracks Cry No More, One Last Night, Bodies and Orphan. The string instruments present in tracks One Last Night, Orphans and Bodies not only add to the heart wrenching emotions of both songs but it shows Vaults’ ability as a band to effectively blend and borrow sounds from different genres creating enchanting, alternative electronic music. The mix of modern and often dark electronic sounds with classical string and percussion instruments is what makes this debut stand out. While songs such as Orphan and Bodies showcase Blythe’s fragile and more stripped back vocal talents, it is songs such as Paradise, Poison and Hurricane that demonstrate the incredible adaptability of her voice. Within these songs, Blythe’s voice can instantly shift from a softer tone to an all out powerhouse vocal that is seriously impressive to listen to. Songs such as Paradise, Poison and Hurricane are some of my favourites on the record purely because of the energy and power provided by Blythe’s lead vocals. Within these songs it is Blythe’s strong vocals that take charge and drive the tracks forward, creating songs that are really impressive vocally. Particularly Paradise is an interesting song, not only do Blythe’s vocals take control but the song incorporates some additional orchestral and choir-like vocals that are layered into the background of the song. These additional vocals give the song a more angelic, gospel type feel and further enforce the dreamy imagery a song called Paradise brings to the listener’s mind.
The tracks Orphan and Bodies, while both take a more sombre melancholic tone, also incorporate layered vocals that add to the power and strength of Blythe’s already hauntingly natural voice. Both use delayed looping vocals that reverberate around and give each song an echoey, ghostly sound that makes both tracks even more compelling. If there is one major critique for this album, it is that there are a few songs on the album that are perhaps a little too synthetic and are blatantly made for the charts and for a mainstream audience. Songs such as Overcome and Midnight River while still perfectly enjoyable songs, lean more to the conventional pop side of things. Although the inclusion of these songs add to the well rounded feel of the album as a solid piece of music, the songs clearly stick out as they do not seamlessly blend in with the dark and alternative tone of the rest of the album.
I have many favourites on the album but the track Poison in particular really strikes a chord with me as it is one song that really got me into the band. After discovering the band I fell in love with the dark, edgy electronica the band are known for and in particular Blythe’s voice on the song. Throughout the track, her vocals effortlessly escalate from being very haunting and fragile to showing us just how powerful and strong her voice can be. The fact many have been waiting and highly anticipating this album is not a sign of things going wrong but rather it signals the band taking their time in the creative process to produce something really wonderful. Within this album there is something for everyone, from electronic tinged pop songs that appeal to the mainstream to spine tingling dark electronica that puts a twist on the alternative/electronic genre. The album not only serves as an example of modern electronica that perfectly represents the wide variety of music the band can produce but it also does a brilliant job of putting Blythe’s naturally chilling yet still powerful vocal talents in the spotlight. The album is a beautiful concoction of modern dark-tinged electronica cut with emotive, personal songwriting and soulful vocals.
It is the staggering versatility and polished professionalism of the band and their unique approach to electronica music that makes this debut really stand out from the rest. A debut album of this level raises questions about what new and exciting things the band could possibly be working on in the future and which direction the band will take as they grow and develop as artists.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Stand out songs: Cry no more, Hurricane, Paradise, Poison
Links:
