Vacant Lots - Departure

by Anthony Strutt

published: 10 / 6 / 2014

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Format: CD

Enthralling psychedelic rock on debut album from American duo, the Vacant Lots

Review

The Vacant Lots are American duo, Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen. They got together in June 2009 and released their first single 'Confusion' in 2011, which was praised by Pitchfork. After that other members joined, but it didn't gel, so they stuck with what they knew worked and carried on as a two-piece. The band's lyrics are about the human condition and all that it throws at it, life and death, love and loss, dark and lightness, while musically they update the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, Suicide and Spacemen 3, whose Sonic Boom mixed and mastered the album. 'Departure' is an album that engages the listener and takes him or her away on an enjoyable voyage for the head and ears. 'Mad Mary Jones' is an abrasive, electro number with the edge of a raw Suicide, while Artaud's vocals sway in a 60's garage rock fashion. 'Never Satisfied' is like an understated Black Angels/Spacemen 3 number, and puts one into a trance-like state. 'Tomorrow' is both more fuzzed up and basic, mere guitar, drums and vocals, and absolutely perfect. 'Paint This City' edges in with doomy OMD-style keyboards, while the vocals drift on by in this slow burning and lazy Green On Red soundscape. 'Before the Evening's Through' is more bubbly, a psychedelic number that is reminiscent of Lou Reed or Jim Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain vocally. '6.A.M.' is feedback-infused, delivered wildly and slapping its listener hard. 'Make The Connection' clocks in at exactly ten minutes exactly and similar to the Velvet Underground's 'The Gift', making it time well spent. 'Do Not Leave Me Now' closes the album and is a perfect summer anthem of cool 1960's vibes. A fantastic album.