Vaux – Identity Theft EP / 2005 Lava Records / 3 Tracks / http://www.vauxrock.com / http://www.lavarecords.com / Reviewed 19 October 2005

Vaux puts forth on their “Identity Theft” a style of music that has equal parts Queens of the Stone Age, AFI, and Marilyn Manson. What results then is not necessarily an emo or rock track, but something that moves beyond simple classification and pigeonholing. The production value of “Identity Theft” is enough that the band will be guaranteed airplay on pretty much any medium; the different sections of the track also show a maturity in the creation of music for Vaux that was not as prevalent on “Plague Music”.

The extended length of “Identity Theft” really is handled skillfully by Vaux, as the different sections really allow listeners to maintain interest while the band brings together the beginning and end much like a draw-string bag. Interesting about “Identity Theft” is the slightly Middle Eastern twinge to the music, something that is fleeting and not brought into any prevalence with “Are You With Me”. The use of vocals in an instrumental, atmospheric sense at times during “Identity Theft” is continued with “Are You With Me”. During “Are You With Me”, the vocals really achieve a Sum41-like sound, while the guitars really have a simplistic nature that draw them much more closely to the aforementioned Marilyn Manson.

The dense construct of “Are You With Me” will keep interests from flagging; the fact that clapping, bass lines, multi-part harmony and piercing drum beats are all contained within a very close arrangements without mucking up what is a clean sound is impressive. The production again reaches heights with the stereo aspect of this track; Vaux’s guitar is piped through a speaker while a noise shoots through the other speaker, creating a divided focus that allows for repeated listenings (as listeners will not be able to get everything with the first few listens to the track). There is a much more condensed sound with the only track from the “Plague Music” EP, “Celibate Good Times”. The track is obviously the strongest in the way of “Plague Music”-era tracks, but the presence of this track on this disc is really valuable. This is due to the fact that Vaux has very audibly moved from a more radio-friendly sound to assume a more nuanced and thought-out sound. While this is only a sampler, the music present on this EP should give listeners enough of an impetus to pick up “Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice” and give it a good few listens before deciding whether the band is worth their time.

Top Track: Identity Theft

Rating: 5.2/10

[JMcQ]