Search - Veils :: Runaway Found

Better than most - Dark art with snaps of sunshine

Leo Navarr | Donner Pass, California | 10/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Veils are able to be indie, pop and folk without over indulging in the cliché' sounds that so many of these styles of bands end up in. This particular kind of music is growing every day in popularity, so trying to keep at the top with original and unique material and sound is not an easy task. The Veils have several things going for them, but a couple to note offhand are their accessible sounds, which always seem to be diverse and yet still carry enough punch to separate them from other dismal, spiritless and sometimes even talentless acts that are out there. The second is simple, for the lead singer of this band is second to none in the camp of Indie vocalists.



The anguish is not so sorrowful that you wish the singer behind the semi-tortured lyrics would just walk out of the recording studio; instead he brings out as much uplifting reflection as most do with the typical drone-on-forever slack. Finn Andrews knows what emotion is, and plays those strings just enough so that the listener does not feel like that particular style is being beaten over their head.



Production of this album is tight, with clean vocals and really melodic pings that bring out the best of the stringed instruments used here. Lavinia is a song that is good at showcasing the guitar work, while "More heat than light" has a lot of great, heavy pounding of drums and guitars before storming into a melee of sonic rock, never leaning too far away from Finn's range as he sets the tone of a dark, illustrious song. The song "The tide that left and never came back" has some sounds and style that almost reminds me slightly of the early days of Pink Floyd. This song has a great crescendo as it builds up before flowering out with elegant layers of guitar.



Vicious Traditions is next to last on the track listing, and is a dark, lyrically intelligent tune that broods on through a sad landscape whose walls echo with the vocals. The song was recently used on the film Mr. Brooks, and would shower any scene with reflective, bittersweet regrets of days gone by. The Veils are here to stay, and The Runaway Found is a great place to start. Anyone with eclectic musical tastes and a favorable liking to bands like anything from The Smiths, Morphine or even Death Cab for Cutie should check them out.

"

Great music, horrible voice

E. Butler | 10/09/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose the lead singer's voice would grow on some people or grate upon others. I am one of those folks whose ears are sensitive to the unbearable chalkboard-scratching of Andrews' vocal chords and dropped vowels. This is possibly what makes The Veils more than just another band. The music is rich and textured with incredible harmonies and consuming sounds of a variety of elements. "Lavinia" is the richest of these songs, leading the listener into a pleasing earful of piano, guitar, and background voices. Unfortunately, it's the only song I can tolerate without feeling like my eardrums might be ripped from my head by Andrews' voice."