This is a spin off of our "Where to Start" series! In this feature we provide an overview on the obscure and relatively known acts with less than five albums. In other words, in this guide we go through a band's discography album by album, telling you our thoughts on each record as well as giving insight into the band themselves and why we recommend them for your listening pleasure.
The last decade or so has seen various bands from the 90s, especially within the emo genre, gain more popularity than their original state of activity. American Football, Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate are far more renowned and popular now than they ever were “back in the day”. Whilst this could be argued for some, there are others who still manage to remain in the cracks of obscurity. The best of example of this that comes to mind are New York based cult icons The Van Pelt.
Originally forming in 1993 by vocalist/guitarist Chris Leo, guitarist David Baum, bassist Barry London, and drummer Neil O’Brien, this group began the path to creating a unique identity in contrast to their peers. From their first year in ’93 to their end in 1997, their career included various line up changes and a small burgeoning discography, the majority of which was put out by the Jersey based Gern Blandsten Records. This was all brought to a premature conclusion in ’97, with a line up featuring half of the original members, with Toko Yasuda on bass and Brian Maryansky on drummer. Leo and Yasuda formed The Lapse, whilst Maryansky joined Jets to Brazil in 1998. Eventually, after the group played a few reunion shows in 2009, they would release an album via La Castanya Records in 2014. This was then supposed to be followed by an appearance at the ATP funded Jabberwocky Festival in London. To no one’s surprise, the festival was cancelled, leading to promoters scrambling to put them on in the UK. Soon after, there was silence.
Reading over this, admittedly only the facts have been provided, none of which taps into the “meat” of the band’s sound, nor does it explain why they have a “unique identity”. Also, I imagine you’re asking why UK promoters “scrambled” to put this obscure band on? Apologies, for we shall now elaborate on such points, with help from Into It. Over It.’s Evan Weiss and Arkless vocalist/bassist Andy Hemming.
Musically, the band utilised poetic lyricism with emotionally charged, yet restrained emo influenced indie rock. In Hemming’s opinion, whose London based band owes a lot of debt to this New Jersey quartet, The Van Pelt were “the most refined version of the mid 90s emo sound you could imagine. From a genre which spawned so many bands that crashed and wailed, this band whispered and mesmerised.” Although they did have their “louder” moments, Hemming acknowledges, the stand out parts were “the simple beautiful moments”. Undeniably, this was certainly what made the band stand out from their peers. Those delicate, simple sections are the most compellingly enchanting thing you’ll ever hear.
Additionally however, with great music comes great impact and influence on the listeners who stumble upon it. For Evan Weiss, this was definitely the case. “The Van Pelt were a revelation for me,” explains Weiss, “Somehow they were able to create music that was beautiful, a-tonal and heart wrenching all at once.” Weiss was introduced to the band after being given three LPs by a childhood friend, which belonged to said person’s brother who didn’t own a turntable . Amongst these included The Van Pelt’s seminal masterpiece, ‘Sultans of Sentiment’. “The second the needle hits [opening track] ‘Nanzen Kills a Cat’, you know you’re listening to something inspirational and ahead of it’s time. You’re sucked in. It’s a careful and well calculated balancing act, while somehow still feeling awkward, honest, open and unsure of itself. It’s youth incarnate, but well recorded.”
Reading over the use of such words like “honest”, “inspirational” and “unsure” presents The Van Pelt’s music as completely human. It’s all one could ever want from any piece of music, nay, just art in general. Overall, this is what makes The Van Pelt truly tick as musicians, thus making bands like Into It. Over It., and furthermore, this is why we are sharing them with you in on our site. Especially since they are an obscure band whose artistry is not too far off from falling into the pits of time. Until now however, for the New Jersey group have recently released their first live album, ‘Tramonto’, via Gringo Records. It is a snapshot of a private gig in Ferrara, Italy by them for family and friends. This record truly captures the band’s impressive presence. Additionally, this has also stirred The Van Pelt to play more shows and write new music, so what better time than to guide you, album by album, on one of the most underrated bands in the alternative sphere.
‘Stealing from Our Favorite Thieves’
The Van Pelt’s first album, 1996’s ‘Stealing from Our Favorite Thieves’, showed off the group at their rawest. Opening track ‘His Steppe Is My Prairie’ sets the formula of their craft. An earnest song delicately utilising catchy notes with a lingering intricate precision, whilst maintaining a sense of urgency. Meanwhile, Leo’s pendantic, yet unobtrusive voice eases you into uniquely poetic lyrics conveyed with themes of ancestral imagery and legacy, only to then burst with off kilter yells in the chorus. All in all, this hooks one into the band’s unique brand of indie, emo and post hardcore.
Further highlights going into this debut LP include ‘His Saxophone Is My Guitar’, which sees The Van Pelt taking their quiet to restrained loud style into ever increasing fragile and heartbreaking territory. On the other hand, preceding song ‘Simone Never Had It This Good’ is dreamy and gentle, blended with the usual intriguing lyrics. A lulling wind down in contrast to the song that follows. Both examples give insight into the spectrum of the band’s sound, the former being near hectic, with the latter being the opposite. However, neither one doesn’t go overboard the threshold of their respective tones. This proves all the more useful when one track on the record combines the two. For instance, ‘You Are the Glue’ builds up in a mid tempo amber sea of notes, bass and drums before weaving in and out of a teetering turmoil. Altogether, such ideas only proved the band’s unique style resulted in a strong debut album.
‘Sultans of Sentiment’
For the majority of their fans, The Van Pelt’s most seminal work would be 1997’s ‘Sultans of Sentiment’. Like what ‘His Steppe Is My Prairie’ did for the previous record, first song ‘Nanzen Kills a Cat’ establishes the band’s skills at this point in their career. Dissecting the song itself, the band show off a refined poetic beauty, which gently builds up to a grander sense of purpose, both lyrically and musically. The closing bass note here is a significant touch, as it it leaves you waiting for the next track. Based on this first impression alone, you’re probably thinking, “is this The Van Pelt’s magnum opus?” To put it bluntly, in agreement with the general fan consensus, yes.
From beginning to end, song by song, ‘Sultans of Sentiment’ rides along a perpetual, dream like state of reflection. On the likes of ‘The Good, the Bad & the Blind’ and ‘The Young Alchemists’, quite often these motions erupt outwardly. For instance, the latter song’s fragile flow is interrupted by a prominent bass line, breaking a sense of mystery to it. It is a wondrously beautiful thing to behold. Combined with the band’s intriguing lyrics, the music taps into your psyche causing you to question your whole being.
Meanwhile, ‘Yamato (Where People Really Die)’ and ‘We Are the Heathens’ don’t fall into the general fray displayed by the other songs. Both are quicker and more earnest in their pace, with a refusal to breakdown into the usual weary depths. This is particularly fitting on the latter, which is an abstract tune for the disenfranchised. Yet, the most moving moments on the album are the quieter, intricately reflective songs, which build into poignant grand indie rock. Closing song ‘Do the Lovers Still Meet at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial?’ cements this profoundly. It’s the sort of song that you listen to on long drives in the wilderness or on a bus after a hard dreary day at work. It slowly channels through a melancholic, tranquil tunnel, before breaking down to a graciously scenic end. Once it ends, ‘Sultans of Sentiment’ is the record that will affirm your trust, secrets and feelings to The Van Pelt’s graces.
‘Imaginary Third’
This third full length by The Van Pelt is aptly named because the first five tracks were unreleased cuts (despite being reworked for Leo and Yasuda’s post-VP band The Lapse), recorded between 1996 and 1997. It had been over a decade since the band released any new material, so of course there was an excitement amongst the fan base. In some ways, it was justified as the material was solid stuff to sink your ears into. Opener ‘Infinite Me’ is a focused mid tempo effort filled with The Van Pelt’s usual attractive quirks and skills. From here on out further delights crop up, including the socio politically rocking rhythms in ‘ABCD’s of Fascism’, as well as the bristling get set nature of ‘The Threat’. Two thirds of the way through, there is gratitude to be had at hearing new material by a newly reformed band, especially if it’s this good.
Following the endearing ‘The Betrayal’, the record descends into the three tracks which were previously released on 1997’s ‘Speeding Train’ 7″. ‘Democratic Teacher’s Union’ opens this final third, a short percussive fuelled chant tinkling the ears. For what its worth, you can’t help but feel that this is the start of another record. In some ways this hinders the flow of the album itself, making it come off as a compilation of sorts. This can be definitely be felt if you compare the differing production tones. For example, ‘Evil High’ has a demo/garage like quality in contrast to the preceding tracks, which are fuller and richer in sound. On the other hand, such nitpicking can be tossed aside when you embrace the welcoming arms of frailty in final track ‘Speeding Train’. Here, the band display their usual hypnotic melancholy, right to the very end by the last few drum sounds.
In retrospect, out of their three studio albums, ‘Imaginary Third’ is definitely the weakest by a thin stretch. The aforementioned transition from the unreleased material to the ‘Speeding Train’ section does lack a certain seamless. Yet, the musicianship displayed on every cut is executed solidly and profoundly well, cementing The Van Pelt’s endurance.
Now that we have gone through their small discography, we can conclude that, The Van Pelt could be described as one of the most relatable bands to ever have existed. They created a brand of indie music which touches upon the most reflective side of human nature. Hopefully, they’ll be able to tap into their welcomed interest in writing new music and stir further emotions for more listens. Upon closing this article, we’ll bring up another quote from the Into It. Over It. frontman. For Weiss, there was a duty to share this band with “everyone” he “ever felt like absolutely needed them”. We hope we have achieved this.