Requiem

While listening to the new album "Requiem" by the band Vestibule I got to experience something for the first time. At least to my knowledge this is the first time that I know of, that a rock band that has no electric guitar being used in the band. That's right, the band Vestibule has no electric guitar or any other can kind of guitar in the band. Here's the structure of the band with their corresponding talents, there's Tim Austin who sings vocals, Jason Schleter on the keyboards, and Steven Aparicio-Gomez rounding out the band on the drums. It's a trio band with no stringed instruments being used playing rock music and if you think that because there's no strings being played in this band that they can't play rock, well you would be surprised by what you would hear.
 

I know I was because this band does pump out some solid rock tunes. Not quite the normal rock songs that I'm used to hearing but that's also a good thing because it gives a new take on the songs. It also keeps the songs fresh where I'm not listening to something that I've heard from thousands of other rock bands. Though I keep saying that Vestibule is a rock band that are playing rock songs I can't quite call them a full blown rock band. Yes, they do play rock and yes their songs have the structure of rock songs as well as most of the sound of a rock song. Though what makes them not quite rock songs is the way they are using the keyboards and drums in the songs. It's not the lack of having the guitar that makes them more of a synth-rock band, I think they would still accomplish this even with one, it's that they do add in a synth sound to their songs. It's not enough that the songs would be played at some dance club while a DJ scratches out some remix of the song while people jump around but there is enough synth sound in their songs that gives this album a different take on rock music.
 

It's that different take that I liked the most about "Requiem" because it was different. I like hearing bands that try to make the music their own and giving the songs a tweak to the sound that they are different. However, as much as this band has tried to make the songs different, which they do, they still have some time before they are a great band. This is the album that makes them be noticed, they have talent, they have the knowledge of what they want to do, but they need the experience that more playing will give them. There are moments in the songs that the vocals went off key and some when the drums seem to fall out of pace with the tempo of the song, but not enough where if you are just casually listening it would affect the way the listener felt about the songs. But, if someone were to sit down and really listen to this album then you would hear what I heard, a band that has the potential to be a good band with a unique sound.