In short: Vaux's five song EP Plague Music (Equal Vision) is simply a logical extension of the group's sound. "Celibate Good Times" starts the disk off, telling the story of a preacher who's a few cards short of a full deck, all with a very "swaggery" feel, like the song is a town's gunman walking into to a crowded bar back in the Old West. The chorus, (ironically enough), kills. I caught myself screaming it out whenever the song comes on.
There are saints that should be hung/Forget the cross, Worship the gun/Bang Bang/ I hope your hell is hot enough/ forget the cross worship the gun/ you're at the gates and almost home/ bang bang/hope your hell is hot enoughâ¦
On "RAID!" (hey, I don't make these names up), the vocalist Quentin Smith continues his neurotic, demented lyrics about death, murder and love.
You said you found out/ It's a raid now!/See how it goes down/when the alarm sounds/I know they're coming for you!
"Dearest Darkest" sounds like a typical Vaux song, dark, about sex, and probably about murder somewhere along the line. That's not a criticism, but a statement of fact. It sounds like a b-side from There Must Be Some Way to Stop Them and that's a very good thing.
Musically, its more of the same aggressive post hardcore, with a few twists. I don't remember a Persian influence on There Must Be Some Way to Stop Them, which works fabulously on "Sex Will Happen Tonight", turning a dirty song lyrically into something you might hear out of a Persian harem in its heyday. Odd as it sounds, it works. While odd, it fits nicely, especially when you consider its before the face melting title (and last track). "Plague Music" wouldn't sound out of place in Vaux's full length save that time, the lyrics are even better, the song more cohesive, the screams more insane.
If you loved the original full length, there's no reason why you shouldn't like this one. The production is better, the mixing is better, the songs are more cohesive, and the band sounds tighter than ever. If you already like Vaux, as well as seeing them on tour now, then pick this one up. If you don't like Vaux, give this one a shot, you might be surprised.
MP3
Celibate Good Times