Albums by this artist

The Lost Children EP (1999)

Vinyl Star

The Lost Children EP

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» YUL B. DEAD | STAFF WRITER

Vinyl Star The Lost Children EP Happy Couples Never Last, 1999 RiYL: Verve, Medal, Radiohead's Pablo Honey

Perhaps one of the last things someone should expect to come out of the quiet midwestern town of Bloomington, Indiana, is a trippy, Brit-pop EP. But when you toss in the fact that Bloomington is home to the immense Indiana University and its world-renowned School of Music, both of which hold influence over a thriving local music scene, Vinyl Star seems to make a little more sense.

This EP, out on Indianapolis-based label Happy Couples Never Last, contains only five songs but stretches longer than thirty minutes and makes a pretty cohesive listen that describes what the band is all about. In short, it's a slightly anthemic, slightly trippy, rather British sound that relies heavily on a "mass of guitars wrest the melody from piano intro just in time for catchy chorus" format. The last two songs are involved, epic-style tracks that segue into horn and guitar-led jam sections.

The music is well-textured, with multiple keyboards (micromoog, farfisa, fender rhodes, harpsichord) basting every track and even a trumpet and saxophone coming to play when needed. The vocals are a bit blurry and tough to make out, but they are consistent enough to fit right in with the other instrumentation. The latter half of "Let Me Go Peacefully" ends the EP on its most impressive note, a driving rhythm leading the band through a three-minute instrumental section with a guitar part as catchy as any other point on the record.

The Lost Children EP shows a young band, its members intent on making music true to their hearts. Vinyl Star isn't going to save the world anytime soon, but judging from these songs, the band is working hard to contribute their two cents to the long road of rock and roll.

YUL B. DEAD |