Cleveland rockers Vibe and Direct are no strangers to bringing fresh new music to the scene, and their new album Lavish Peasant serves as a strong statement to that. This band delivers on all fronts, bringing a new album that shatters expectations of what people have come to expect from jamtronica bands.
What really sticks out in this album is its balance of relaxing downbeat melodies while it continuously builds up to something new and exciting. The opening track “Silly Lilly” sets the tone with a nice instrumental that takes its listeners for a ride, all while keeping them grounded at the same time. The voice samples serve as a perfect backdrop for the almost tropical feeling that resonates within the song.
The band continues to do interesting things with their subtle use of samples in the next song as well, as “April Showers” continues to carry the album’s theme of simple, yet unpredictable sounds. The emphasis on vocals in this song fit in particularly well with the light ambient sounds produced at the beginning. Though the band seems to take the “less is more” approach with singing, and end the last half with an extremely satisfying dance groove that feels like you’ve gone on a journey through by the end of the song.
The next track “Help Train” starts off a little heavier before moving into some lyrics that get downright poetic. Vibe and Direct has the natural ability to make their songs come to life at the end of each of their songs by adding experimental sections that make it feel as if the song is being performed live, while still having a clear direction of where they’re going. It really is a treat to listen to this band’s talent for creating so many different layers of sound while only being a 3-piece band.
“Nub Dubby”’s opening slithery guitar riffs take the song into a psychedelic spin that ends on another especially uplifting dance beat, showcased by the excellent precision between the bass and drums. This song in particular reflects the band’s inspiration from other jam bands with some of its familiar sounds, while also reflecting the band’s own very unique style.
One thing that really shines throughout this whole album is Vibe and Direct’s amazing ability to give each song a very distinct progression of its own. The use of samples present throughout the whole album add a touching level of ambience while still allowing for impressive jams throughout.
Between their perfectly crafted songwriting and moving instrumentals, Vibe and Direct prove themselves to to be a completely different band in the world of jamtronica.
