Strange Vacation

Chasm

Written by: PP on 18/07/2012 06:51:40

Perhaps one of the most interesting records of 2012 comes from Detroit, Michigan's Strange Vacation, whose debut album "Chasm" I stumbled on by chance a couple of months ago. It's a modern alternative rock record that builds on the foundations of several bands without necessarily being a clone of any of them, although there are moments that they come very close to being just that. The instant reference is of course The Dangerous Summer, whose songs Strange Vacation mirror through spacious, catchy soundscapes that have a light progressive undertone attached to them. These are well constructed enough though to put such petty concerns aside to allow the listener to allow Strange Vacation do what Strange Vacation do best: namely sound like exactly what Angels & Airwaves set out to do but never accomplished during their career thus far.

So basically, imagine a vocalist who sounds like Tom DeLonge from Blink 182 and has equal part ambition, but knows how to execute his take on space-y alternative rock because he has heard "War Paint" by The Dangerous Summer. That's the essential description of "Chasm", with the added note that the guys behind this band know how to create an ambitious soundscape while keeping their feet at least halfway attached to the ground at the same time. While their atmospheres rely heavily on the effects board and on echoing soundscapes, they make sure it isn't just lofty floating bullshit, but fill it with clever vocal hooks, harmonies and prolonged singing that screams mainstream career all over the place - and that's in a good way.

Essentially, Strange Vacation build a huge soundscape immediately suitable for the larger venues without the fan base or the hype to support it. That they are able to write songs like "War In The Dark", "Just Gave Out" or "Invention" suggests that there is immense talent behind this band that shouldn't ignored. Yes, the songs on "Chasm" aren't as good as on "War Paint", but if this is the starting point for Strange Vacations, their career should kickstart immediately after people start listening to this record, and latest if(when) they release a similarly successful sophomore album as The Dangerous Summer. At under 1,000 Facebook fans, they are certainly one of the undiscovered gems for all you early adopters out there.

Download: War In The Dark, Just Gave Out, Invention,
For the fans of: The Dangerous Summer, Angels & Airwaves, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, The Graduate
Listen: Facebook

Release date 17.01.2012
Authentik Artists

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.