Unbuckled Preview: The Vita Ruins
In August, DCist reviewed Thanks For Your Concern (but we're okay), the latest offering from The Vita Ruins. Now it's September and the band's wormed its way into our iPods, our hearts, and our stage at Unbuckled 4. Here's a second look at our review of the band's EP. See the real thing tomorrow night at DC9 as the band takes the stage with Middle Distance Runner.
A couple weeks ago, DCist was outside the 9:30 Club when a couple fellas promoting their EP Thanks For Your Concern (but we're okay) handed us a copy. The band is The Vita Ruins and we were expecting to hear more Pitchfork rock, an upstart college band, maybe even a rough EP by a new rock group recorded on affordable gear in their practice space. But we definitely weren't expecting to hear THIS. And we aren't the only ones that have taken notice either, as word of this band is quickly spreading through the local music community and across the internet. The Vita Ruins are about to break and you better take a listen.
Popping in the CD, we're eased into the soft beginnings of "Godspeed To That Polytheist," with a blend of watery ambient keys over a building organ. Soon, the rest of the band breaks in and we quickly noticed this group specializes in creating epic soundscapes. The vocals -- by the way of Tim Kratzer -- are haunting, reminding us of Morrissey singing over Pink Floyd. Midsong, the vocals drop out and the band gathers around the organ, building to a creepy soaring blend of sound effects. The sound is big, large enough to fill an arena. The next track is the explosive single "Alien," thumping from the start with a driving rhythm section and extraterrestrial lead guitar line. Kratzer's distorted vocals are grungy over the industrial rock pounding below him. The song is beyond catchy, and you will not be able to get the repeated chorus "bring your rebels with their troubles" out of your head for weeks. The band is also quite proficient at changing moods throughout the song. You feel charged up in the beginning, desperate in the middle, and ready to fight a war in the end. "Alien" is a radio-ready track we could easily imagine on DC 101.
"My Last Days On Earth" slows things down again, as the band creates a dark ambience cooled by a howling wind. The watery textures create a delicate atmosphere as Kratzer sings about the loneliness of facing your eventual death. Partway into the song, the band kicks in with a driving rhythm and bright Brit-poppy guitars, turning "My Last Days On Earth" into an upbeat song for dealing with your end. The last track on the EP, "The Song of Ariel," begins with an acoustic guitar melody but is quickly lofted by the band and bursts out with fierce machine-gun fury during the chorus as Kratzer's voice shifts from screaming to haunting falsetto, describing the plight of a young girl in an ambiguous captivity. Like the rest of the songs on the album, the band does not have a traditional verse-chorus-bridge structure, but instead present the songs in a more abstract manner, and is also quite proficient at quickly building tension in their songs and seamlessly releasing cathartic hooks. The EP is packed with elements of all rock -- grunge, industrial, Brit-pop, indie. And Krazter has one of the best singing voices we've heard in a while. You get the feeling this band has spent a lot of time crafting these songs to absolute perfection.
The Vita Ruins -- Kratzer and guitarist Greg Balleza, bassist Dave Phillips, and drummer Mike Seaner -- have only formally been a band since January. A 'vita' is a short account of a person's life, and thus the band's name refers to the ruins of stories of people. The name quite aptly summarizes the band's artistic identity as their lyrics are packed with desperation and existential themes. Most impressive about the group however, is that the EP (recorded at The Cue in Falls Church) was arranged by the band themselves, and not by a hired gun producer. You can hear it in its entirety on the band's MySpace Page and judge it for yourselves; we have a feeling you'll be as impressed. They will be playing their inaugural gig at the spankin' new The Red and The Black this Saturday night with The Timothy Braken Complex. It would appear to be a fitting venue, marking what could be the beginning of a new era in the DC music scene. Though The Vita Ruins have no immediate plans for a full-length album, they are planning more shows in the near future across the city. We will be closely watching them, eager to hear more from this very promising young group.