Vaz – The Lie That Matches The Furniture / 2005 Narnack / http://www.thevaz.com / http://www.narnackrecords.com / Reviewed 09 November 2005

The fuzz that is present during “The Past Is Past” is something that is part and parcel in Vaz’s overall sound; while it sometimes just lies that and makes the track unnecessarily heavy, there are tracks (Tri-Panic Express) where it really gives the output some definitive form and intensity that the song would not otherwise have. The repition used one tracks like “The Blue Hour” really is not the result of a band not knowing where to go with the music, but of something that is tremendously complex. This complexity is brought by minor permutations of the general sound put forth by the band; a framework might be changed twenty or thirty times (such as in “The Blue Hour”) before Vaz decides to end the track.

The general sound of Vaz is not new; in fact, the dreamy vocals coupled alongside rapidly-intensifying bursts of noise (best captured by “Sink The Swan”) seem to be more Talking Heads than current spazz-rock. The multiple levels of sound that issue forth from Vaz during tracks like “Sink the Swan” really gives the track a body that can easily go awry; the disc started off in such a way with “The Past Is Past”. The ghostly vocals of Paul really work either in context with this full-bodies noise or when the noise subsides and really allows eir nuanced vocals to shine. “Lapp Garou” really blends the two distinct style and forces Paul to achieve an intensity in eir voice that has not previously been noticed; this move to crank both vocals and noise to eleven results in something new and fresh half-way through the disc, at a time when a chance of pace is more than welcome. The brooding opening to “Ah, My Social Life” has to be the darkest moment of the disc; the electronic sequencing that it gives way too provides listeners with a macabre dance song that sadly stops only a minute and a half into the track.

The penultimate track to “The Lie That Matches The Furniture”, “The Swell Remains” has to be one of the most contemporary sounding tracks on the disc. It’s style is much more along the lines of the bi-polar noise put out by bands like Some Girls and Capillary Action. Vaz comes forth with a disc that is cohesive while still having some different and distinct sections in its thirty-three minute runtime. Kudos to one of the most interesting lead-out tracks in “Boy From Nancy”, as well.

Top Tracks: The Swell Remains, Tri-Panic Express

Rating: 5.8/10

[JMcQ]