Post Ransom, A New Vision seek Immortality
By SAM PFEIFLE | October 5, 2006
A New Vision |
Since the late 1990s, Ransom had been one of the more creative heavy rock bands on the Portland scene, using multi-media well to develop their fanbase and becoming one of the first local bands to release a DVD. They were also one of the bigger supporters of the all-ages scene, working with the Reindeer Rock-Off and serving as a sounding board for developing bands. None of those things are likely to change with A New Vision, the new project Ransom’s Travis Szendrei (bass), Aaron Bagley (vocals and guitar), and Dan Kramer (drums) have put together with Jody Bagley (keys and vocals), Alex Szendrei (guitar) and the enigmatically named Dark White (guitar). Certainly, there’s no lack of creativity on the band’s debut full-length, Immortality. A concept piece with a solid narrative, the album puts a wide array of musical approaches on display, all of them a touch goth and depressing, but borrowing liberally from club dance music, the singer/songwriter tradition, and guitar pop.
Arranged into three suites, Immortality is reached by “Entering Misery” on the “Path to Demise” and then finding “Profound Rumination.” The story is of a soul given a second chance at life, a love found and lost, and a somewhat pessimistic reflection on the meaning of life, whereby the soul discovers “you need to understand your life to appreciate your death.” A New Vision take pains to develop the narrative through decipherable lyrics and plenty of musical cues, like digital washes to introduce new story arcs and stark juxtapositions to signal a move from external action to internal reflection.
Essentially, if you’re a fan of 1970s Rush or Yes prog-rock, you’ll be in familiar territory here, though ANV aren’t as technical as Rush or as orchestral as Yes. Plus, they contemporize that sound with accessible tunes like “See You,” which isn’t quite your typical hard-rock ballad thanks to a pop chorus that might remind you of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” (assuming you purchased their comeback self-titled “wedding album”).
On the Web
A New Vision: http://www.anewvisionmusic.com
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