VAEDA – State Of Nature

Vaeda is a three-piece (formerly four-piece) band, which relocated from New York to Los Angeles after recording this, their debut album. According to the press release, Vaeda is Sanskrit for knowledge, and the band’s mantra is: “With great rock, comes great responsibility.” Coupled with the fact that the band apparently doesn’t take their creative juices lightly, the direction of State Of Nature does make sense.

Vaeda made a buzz on Myspace last year, where they were the number one unsigned band in the fall of 2005. Now, they are looking to spread the word with their debut.

Opener “Money” is on the verge of the happy, rockier side of things musically, as opposed to some of the gloomier, “weirder” material that lies ahead. “All For You” has an infectious chorus and is without a doubt the Poppiest tune on offer. It’s an obvious choice for a single and pretty much the only song that is an immediate hit on first listen.

“Battle Song” opens up with a riff that is Ska-like in its tendencies. Quite infectious, whilst “Jesus Rides The Subway” features punctuated drumming and melodic guitar intertwined with louder parts. “Wait Your Turn” has another good chorus, but the rest of the song fails to catch on.

Ian Cole solely handles the guitar parts well, but his voice has its limitations, which works as a disadvantage for the band. The actual vocal melodies, although too Pop-Punkish at times, are crafted well, but the band could do with a stronger, fuller voice to match the musical diversity.

At times, the band’s enthusiasm tends to make them drift off musically, which makes the rather short songs suffer, as some of the said songs are in dire need of memorable hooks to work better. “Bite My Tongue” is a good example of this, as is “Son Of The Viper.” On the other hand, this enthusiasm for experimentation results in coloring the music to the band’s advantage, which, to some extent, makes up for the loss of hooks, as in “125.”

“Thief” relies major on a bass-heavy groove, as the guitars take on a more relaxed stance for the most part. The song is probably the second best choice for radio, not as Poppy as the aforementioned “All For You,” but nevertheless a good track for the Rock radio market. “Imperial” takes on some Meantime-era Helmet nuances. It’s very impressive track and it comes out being among the album’s absolute highlights.

The band is dangerously on the verge of falling over as they stumble on “Kneejerk,” a downright insane, yet catchy tune. It features many different parts for the guitars and bass, while Oliver Williams’ steady drumming, thankfully, holds the madness together and makes it work. The outcome? Genius. Closer “Cacophony” ends the album on a slower, more depressing, darker note.

It’s a wide musical scope, some quite strong early to mid 90s Alternative Rock influences, as elements of Nirvana, Tool, and the already mentioned Helmet, to name a few, are apparent throughout. Vaeda has an urge to let it all out, which they, for the most part, succeed in doing. Sometimes they make a mess, it has to be said. They portray a picture of children playing with colors, with the music being the paint. The vision is clumsy, but seemingly executed without much effort. That is the charm of Vaeda; a charm that needs to be heard to be believed, if not necessarily understood.

LINEUP

Ian Cole – Guitar/Vocals
Aristotle Dreher – Bass
Oliver Williams – Drums