Vague Angels - Let's Duke It Out At Kilkenny Katz

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

5...according to our Brian on Thu 14 Dec, 2006.

What Chris Leo is doing now interests me greatly. A mosaic adorned, blue vinyl album by VAGUE ANGELS is here, on Red Cars Go Faster & it's utterly great. I get a feel of mantric space rock with a dreamy folk edge but there's so much more. Like the Velvet Underground if they took mushrooms instead of smack. A very pure & free music prevails on 'Let's Duke it Out at Kilkenny Katz' retaining a love of alternatively tuned, minimal chords, his work is more full of a zesty love of life these days. His meandering lyrics punctuate the music, flowing freely along like a marriage made in heaven with occasional female backing vocals as an added bonus. Not quite the rambling Bob Dylan & Red Krayola, more like a soulful, daydreaming Jad Fair without the punchable bits. Phil says he's reminded of Can's Michael Mooney, for in the music too, there's an element of Can's trippy organic soul. The music is occasionally motorik but the layers are many, light & breezy, full of space & wonder. An unassuming & modest but ultimately visionary voice in rock, I'd utterly love this fluttering, delight to be album of the week. - Brian

Vague Angels is the new project/band of Chris Leo (The Lapse, The Van Pelt, Native Nod) and it slowly became real through books, soundtracks and shows. After the departure of The Lapse, he kept on writing and playing songs and everything comes with this new record: his literary passion, his own style of writing songs and finding the right word in the right moment, his unmistakable voice. Stealing from the past, giving things a new shape and heading into tomorrow. Acoustic guitars, upright bass, a keyboard and a few drums make the sound; the younger brother Danny Leo (Native Nod, The Holy Childhood, The Gang) played drums and recorded a few tracks, Don Devore (The Icarus Line, Frail, Ink And Dagger) came and played bass, while Young-Ah Kim sang and wrote a song. The record comes up in a nice gatefold jacket, the beautiful artwork is done by Angelo Milan

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