Review: Lavisher ‘Aligned & Vital’
Chicago, Illinois’ Lavisher were formed in 2017 by guitarist Gavin Cushman III and Idin Alexander(later of Something Is Waiting), with Benjamin Standage taking over from the latter in 2023.
Debuting in 2017 with the self-titled EP, Lavisher followed this up in 2019 with Drastic Shadows. They released three standalone singles recorded over the pandemic: Reverie, Gesture and Stitcher (with accompanying remixes). Now comes Aligned & Vital, their sophomore full-length album.
As a pre-streaming listener, the album’s fantastic artwork (by Puzzleman Leung) caught my eye as it recalled the back cover of Scritti Politti’s Cupid & Psyche 85. By this I mean the concept of harder-edged rock ‘n’ roll (symbolised by the motorcycle helmet) being balanced by softer, introspective sounds (cue the flowers). I’m excited to hear how this pans out…
No Sign Of Mine has art-rock vibes with nods to A Perfect Circle, as well as the expansive sounds found on Filter’s Title Of Record. One can easily imagine the track going down a storm at festivals, a strong opener. Preemptive Waltz has a stoner rock sound, think Queens Of The Stone Age’s better material, before they decided to hook up with the king of bland, Mark Ronson, on Villains. There’s a killer groove to get your teeth into, making it an engrossing and engaging listen.
Failure are mentioned in the promotional notes, and with Sultry it’s easy to see why, especially 1994’s Magnified. Like that band, there’s a druggy chord vibe which gives the whole thing a lysergic atmosphere which feels both unsettling and comforting. Ancients brings doom to the party with the kind of thunderous riffing one would find on a Saint Karloff record and vocals akin to Mike Patton at his most soulful. An odd combo, but one which definitely works!
a druggy chord vibe which gives the whole thing a lysergic atmosphere which feels both unsettling and comforting…
Way Too Much is pretty mind-blowing, think the nihilistic grunge of Alice In Chains intermingled with Opeth style prog, but with a faster, welcome change of pace. This is a real toe tapper and a definite highlight on the album for yours truly. Topped & Tailed, with its eerie post-hardcore sensibility, stands out as one of the album’s darker tracks, what with the heavier moments not dissimilar to Quicksand – exceptional.
Charmer is hook-laden with some absolutely soaring melodies; if you can imagine early Weezer, it’s that irresistibly catchy. Gritty references Queens Of The Stone Age once more with its tough, driving, hypnotic guitar playing and distinctive falsetto vocal patterns; it makes you wish that band wrote songs like this again. Howl has mournful vocals ala Morrissey, while the syncopated noise-rock/alt-metal riffs and tight production brings Helmet to the fore. Another example of how Lavisher effortlessly meld introspective moments with a bruising musical attack.
The title track, Aligned & Vital, has a similar dynamism to Deftones post 2000’s work, when they were starting to explore different textures and genres. As far as Detached is concerned, in one interview I read with frontman Cushman, he stated it’s ‘one of the most vulnerable songs’ he’s written, and boy, he’s not wrong. The raw emotion pours out of him, while the music itself feels strangely detached, coming across as something Wishbone Ash or Thin Lizzy might have produced. Disparate yet achingly beautiful. Redress is possibly the most ‘indie’ sounding number with its nice nods to shoegaze, which helps draw the album to a dreamy and elegant conclusion.
Aligned & Vital clearly has great affection for the 1990’s, but Lavisher are far from mere revivalists. The music, progressive and experimental, can prove challenging at times but ultimately, it’s intriguing enough to warrant repeated listens. Recommended.
Label: Nefarious Industries
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
