Album Review: Field Trip — Horror Vacui
File next to: Flaming Lips, Beach House, Roxy Music
Lush aural textures and inviting melodies are the hallmarks of the digital-only debut album from this NYC five-piece band. Gauzy production that occasionally recalls Psycho Candy-era Jesus and Mary Chain is applied to songs that have more than their fair share of hooks. The seven songs on Horror Vacui are mostly awash in synthesizer textures and effects, but those sonic qualities are employed as integral components of the songs themselves, never as mere filigree. Touches of industrial music – like the faraway atmospherics and percussion on the first minute or so of “Vacui 95” give the album a dreamy feel, but those happily give way to reveal hypnotic, alluring melodies. Bits of found sound and dissonance only add to the record’s appeal. Sometimes the arrangements are so dense as to make picking out individual instruments a difficult task, but the songs always shine through.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.