Music Review // Vox Rea "Art Oracles"

https://open.spotify.com/album/3oewKicek7n5o7zdL7G3L3?si=a48HIOPPR2GsqkEB4skgYg

Throughout "Art Oracles" the sound of Vox Rea can move from rock to pop, but the overall vibe of the music is the mood that it sets.   This isn't so much about the sound as it is the feelings it can produce.   "Oh Mama" begins the album with these big, atmospheric beats and synths, which sets the tone for what's to come.  There is a steady groove and by "Missed It By A Second" we get into the guitars and drum machine beats.  At the beginning of the album, I am reminded of both P!nk and a little bit of Slothrust somehow, which puts in between that rock and pop genre.  

Guitars take us into "Julia", which is more of a love song and brings out thoughts of Metric.  Big pianos into beats find the song "Hard" and then slower acoustics start off "December 1999" which was just such a different time with Y2K and how many people can say they've seen the century change?  This song also takes us into this place of pop which feels like Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter.  Going right into "One Kiss" we have these unique vocal sounds and it's upbeat as well.  Slower acoustics take us through the interlude that is "Indecisive Interlude", which feels like a good time to flip the cassette. (Change to Side B)

Beats bring us right back into it all on "Stick My Landing" while the singing and slower vibe comes out on "Carry On".   Soft acoustics come through on "Grass" while orchestra strings bring us to "West Cliff Prelude".  "Electric" has a very bass synth sound to it, which to some extent reminds me of Flora Cash and as we get into the final song, "Captain", the sound can just feel hypnotic.  This trulty does come down to a sound that is less about hearing and more about feeling it, just letting it take over your entire body and not just your ears.

Lyrically these songs can be quite brilliant.  "Grass" has the line: "The grass loses color where I lay" which can be about how you ruin things (or even kill them) around you, which I think we've all felt cursed like that at one time or another.  "Captain" says: "I am the captain of a ship that's going down" but also reminds us: "So intent on where I'm going / I forgot to look around".  Perhaps this is your sign to bring out an old cliche like stopping to smell the roses, but to do to the soundtrack of "Art Oracles".