The majority of people who have bought a VAST CD probably bought their 1998 release, Visual Audio Sensory Theater. They were probably seduced into the purchase after hearing either the deliciously vicious "Pretty When You Cry" or the complex and beautiful "Touched" at the local Goth bar. Those people probably thought it was a pretty decent album--sort of what they would expect to hear if Enigma, Nine Inch Nails, and U2 found themselves in a big, sonic mash up.
Those people probably then went out and bought the second release from Jon Crosby's band, Music for People. A better CD, in some ways, if a bit of a mirror of the first. The driving beats, the mix of rock and classical instruments, the touch of vaguely Middle Eastern sounding vocals buried under the melodies, and Crosby's self-consciously disturbing lyrics all seemed tailor made for an I Wanna be a Goth starter kit. Ultimately, there was something distinctly promising about the release--a sense that Crosby was onto something pretty cool, even if it did come across as affected at times.
And now, after four years, VAST has a new album, Nude.
And suddenly, anyone who has stuck with hopes that Crosby was a kind of melodic Trent Reznor before Trent went and got boring, was struck with a singular thought: VAST isn't going anywhere. They still sound like that Enigma-Nine Inch Nails-U2 mash up, still have the dark and poetic lyrics, still have all the same rhythms and melodies, and still have Jon Crosby making the same noises as before.
VAST has found a template and Crosby is damned if he'll stray far from the lines that he's written for himself. The production sounds interchangeable with the previous albums, the songs could easily be slotted in without drawing attention to themselves, and the lyrics are, in the end, un-involving. In a way, it's good music--clean and pretty and easily danceable. But it doesn't show any kind of growth at all for the artist.
The CD isn't bad, just tremendously unnecessary. The best advice for someone who has already bought the first two CD's is to pop one of them in and forget about buying Nude. The best advice for someone who hasn't bought any VAST CD's yet is to buy the first two, and ignore this one. It might have its atmospheric and pretty moments, but Nude is the sound of an artist treading water.
Disappointing.
Article comments
1 - gimbal
Don't listen to what the reviewer has to say. Not one word. This is yet another brilliant VAST release and it lives right up to the brilliance of Music for the People (which still is a little better than this album though). No way is this disappointing or unnecessary, this was an album that is released at exactly the right time, and with exactly the right content compared to all the other boring albums being released today.
I spit on the comparison with Nine Inch Nails (the only thing that NIN and VAST have in common is that they both make excellent music, but NIN uses guitar noise to create their alternatively brilliant sound while VAST pulls out every instrument you can think of) or Enigma. VAST is real music that I can relate to, Enigma sounds like it was made in outer space (IMO). The comparison with U2 is actually pretty accurate, but I think that U2 made a wrong turn somewhere since VAST sounds a lot better than their latest creations.
Come on people, this is music as it was intended. Smooth, beautiful and worth every penny. MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE!
2 - zombyboy
Different tastes and different thoughts. Thanks for sharing yours.
As an important aside, I wanted this to be a good CD. When I went out and picked it up, it wasn't because I was hoping to spend my money on something that I wouldn't feel good about. It just wasn't, in my mind, nearly as good as it should have been or could have been.
Thanks again for offering up a different point of view.
3 - gimbal
That's the problem with a lot of people today, they go to the movies or buy music either expecting way to much or with a certain bias. I don't, thats why I enjoy a lot more movies or music than other people do.
I realise I have expressed my point a bit strongly now I read it again, but saying that this album is unnecessary made me post it.
4 - greengoddess42
Wow- I must say that we are all entitled to our own opinions, but that is a harsh critique with too many comparisons to NIN and Enigma. I appreciate both Crosby and Reznor- for both have their own unique style, but hail from the same time period when "electronic" music blossomed. They both tend to also lean towards rather introspective lyrics with brooding subject matter. Thus, it appears that most wish to catergorize these talents together- though they both belong in their own genres.
To me, Crosby's influences sound like a melding between U2 and The Cure (let's go further back than NIN.) His voice and vocal range are impressive, with his music flirting with art rock, industrial, and gothic flares. Amazingly, Jon's first album was produced when he was at the tender age of 21. His album uses an 18 piece orchestra, a women's Bulgarian chorus and the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Mauer. (Perhaps why one would want to compare to Enigma- but their styles are so drastically different!!) These additives, blended with Crosby's voice and lyrics, create the signature sounds of VAST- raw, haunting, and beautiful.
All three albums are true to Crosby's musical form. For any fan of Vast, all three albums would be wonderful for any collection! Personally, i'm a music junkie, with thousands of cd's and Nude and VAST's first album rarely leave my 60 disc changer. Such strong work, by a talented musician, melded with worldly sounds and eloquent lyrics- forget the comparisons and open yourself up to some mind-blowing music!
5 - Angel
Don´t matter if vast sounds like other bands. It sounds really really good.
Another sugestion, Dredg.