Jay Vogel aka Rather Vapid is back with a new EP entitled Lower Layer. The EP contains three songs. I found the songs to be dramatic, fun and sort of science fiction based as well in terms of some of the themes I was hearing.
The EP gets going with “Lower Layer” which features metallic sounds from percussion elements, guitars and more. I thought the music was strong and enjoyed the juxtaposition of certain elements. That being said, the spoken word is the focal center. The delivery is melodramatic and without the least bit of levity and you are greeted with poetic lines such “The figment of freewill /the roles of our biology / organic circuits in motion.” The emotional resonance of this song was hard to pinpoint because of that. I’m really not sure if he was being tongue in cheek or not and I think that can have its advantage. I have to admit the music for me really connected when I heard “Your Peripheral.” The music reminded me of Primus minus the slap bass work of Les Claypool which you usually hear in their songs. I liked the slightly dark elements and guitar work. The vocals were also a lot easier for me to digest. He does have a flair for the dramatic when he sings but in this case everything does coalescence in a great way. I'll give a big thumbs up for this song. Vogel ends with “Tried” and I thought it was actually the most straightforward song but arguably the highlight in the batch. I would definitely say it’s the catchiest in terms of the vocal melodies. The guitar work, especially the lead, was great. I did actually think of Larry LaLonde of Primus again. That being said he has his own style when the elements come together. Vogel has talent as a solo artist but as a producer and engineer myself for the last twenty years I couldn't help but think how some of his songs would manifest with a full band. I say that because the structure and dynamics felt like they would lend themselves to that process. Food for thought. This was an enjoyable release. I would say the EP was cohesive but there was enough variety between each song so that it felt distinct. This EP is relatively short in terms of time so I’m excited to hear where he goes next. Recommended.
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