Review Summary: Crosby's forceful push towards mixing different pieces within one album feels downright separate instead of the much desired effect of a unionized sound.
VAST otherwise known as Visual Audio Sensory Theater is the brainchild of a man named Jon Crosby. Although his mixture of industrial textures and catchy lyrical pieces feel simplistic in nature, not because of their overall structure, but the reoccurring of themes that is ever present within Crosby’s work. VAST’s self-titled debut was incredibly catchy, layered with Buddhist hymns and industrial thrills – simply put it was accessible, yet respected considering the mainstream Alternative vibe it gave off. Crosby’s sophomore effort would appear to be a slump.
Music For People leaned towards acoustic arrangements instead of layered industrial brushes seen within Nine Inch Nail’s earlier works (less abrasive). It becomes clearly evident what made VAST so addicting had been pushed aside for other directions that Crosby would try to venture. The dark, sinister, depressive experience was still there, just not the type of instrumental atmosphere we all hoped for. It started to become increasingly evident that Crosby’s problems with his label (wanted more accessible, more mainstream) would be a rushed product to get out of the mess that Elektra had gotten him into. So, what would emerge from the frustrations that VAST’s third album would bring entitled
NUDE?
Jon Crosby seems content at the acoustic side of things, which although didn’t capture the entire sound of
Music For People, it surely left an imprint. Although
NUDE has been said to be “unfinished” it shouldn’t be an excuse to bring out mediocre material to the forefront. Much like other artists that don’t vent their anger in their albums about their contempt for their record labels it usually sounds extremely boring and quite uninspiring. Memories bring me back to Mos Def’s
Tru3 Magic or
True Magic (however the hell you want to spell it). Like Mos Def, Crosby seems bored with himself, many of these songs are uneventful or incredibly somber in tone to the point it all ends up sounding the same. Gradually it falls into oblivion with the few high points here and there to show a few glimmers of hope. The opener “Turquoise” feels like a Nitzer Ebb induced hate anthem only with more flair and dramatic electronic surroundings. The gradual decline in material on
NUDE can be seen with the inclusion of Crosby’s acoustic infatuation and the obvious repetitive material that barely mirrors his self-titled work. Let me try to explain, “Be With Me” is the perfect example of how seems to include minor female chant vocals in the background for the hell of it. If you’ve heard of VAST’s self-titled album then you should know the hymns that was on many of those songs have crawled onto
NUDE. Maybe Crosby just decided to put it in there to please his label who he’s already pissed off at.
The biggest setback is clearly in the mid-section of this album. The middle of
NUDE has a huge void. Marred within this album is the mixture of two different forms: acoustic arrangements with dramatic classical set pieces that aren’t exactly dramatic to begin with. This experiment may work on some levels, but it just stands that Crosby’s lyrics and vocals just don’t mix. Clearly the acoustic portion can be questioned in “I Need To Say Goodbye” for the main fact the upbeat tempo isn’t collectively spoken for. It seems Crosby decided to go in an obscure direction for his third album that ventures off in different areas of the wilderness. If acoustic happenings, classical-esque pieces, and light electronic/industrial feelings that were garnered from Crosby’s earlier work is fine with you then think again. Many of these elements don’t exactly mix within the music, only to be separated entirely track by track, leaving the listener a bit confused and disappointed.
In all honesty there are some worthwhile additions within this album. “Don’t Take Your Love From Me” is mainly piano driven, but is accompanied by a violin that is extremely pleasing. “Falling From The Sky” albeit not as electronic or industrial as VAST’s self-titled, still reminds us that Crosby still has his moments of chorus driven hymns in the background that aren’t half-assed (hello “Be With Me”). The already mentioned “Turquoise” and even the middle-eastern stylized “I Can’t Say No (To You)”. Thankfully Crosby re-released this album on his 2-disc set called “Turquoise & Crimson” (originally an all internet release, only to be taken apart into
Nude because of pressure from his label). You’ll see the difference of course since the
NUDE is extremely varied and sparse unlike his fourth album.
