Vasudeva
No Clearance
(Skeletal Lightning)
Too often in this industry people examine how things are said, what intentions were meant and who provoked the greatest meme. Every once and awhile it has to be nice to detach from all of it. Wouldn’t it be nice to just hear the essence of the world around you without all of the clatter? A vacation would certainly help, but so would Vasudeva’s newest release, No Clearance. The trio spent the better of two years perfecting their sound by examining every intricate detail of their existence; unleashing a soundtrack of serenity through Skeletal Lightning.
Vasudeva’s ability to hold attention without the use of vocals is as impressive as ever on No Clearance. There is more of a story to be told in this collection of instrumental songs than most bands spend decades doing. Their beats swing and dance their way into ears, seducing listeners with delicate guitars that glisten like a sun off a river. While a bit more poppy in appearance, the orchestration and overall construction of this album is gorgeously layered with memorable hooks in the form of swaying guitars. Opening the album with “Take Away” and “Chase,” these songs are cohesive imprints of what Vasudeva’s art sounds like, with the latter song becoming an earworm with its somber tone becoming a ghost in the atmosphere. “Goner” beams with ambiance, highlighting the trio’s knack of utilizing different instruments in their songs (a Rhodes piano and drum machines). The ability for each member to push themselves farther into their own sonic palette contributes to No Clearance sounding much like a magnum opus.
And what a hell of a cry. ‘Turnstile” finds the band treading familiar waters of switching tempos, time signatures and flipping their own beats over each other. It’s done brilliantly and never invades the listener’s space by over analyzing themselves; it’s organic. The drum patterns across the entire record are a bit atypical, fluttering their own march but still having a solid foundation for the rest of the music to really soar. Highlighting this perfectly is “CSPAN,” a track found on the back half of the album, but pulses with powerful syncopation thanks to the framework of the rhythm patterns. It is a bit more simplified here, but it bounces and creates its own airwave. The final accent to the song blows right into closing number “Katy,” again finding the band unraveling their spirit into a grace of music.
Without trying to say too much, No Clearance is an album that people just have to put on. Vasudeva let their minds roam with this record, wading through their own musical psyche. There are moments on this album that I linger on more than lyrics, and by golly the textures express themselves in ways not meant for a page, but for an easel. It’s not an album that will perfectly explain how you think your life is going; or maybe it will. That’s up for your own interpretation.
