Self titled EP

Think guitar noise, think subtle acoustics, then conjure to mind a blend of early 90's shoegazing and the Red House Painters - you might be thinking of San Francisco's Vaportrail. Not only does the link with the Red House Painters extend to location and the tones of vocalist/guitarist Roger Anderson's instrumentation, but that band's drummer Anthony Koutsos lent his delicate skills to this recording. The opening track 'Marbles in the Sky' is a sweeping epic that gets the EP off to a vibrant and exciting start by building up to an onrushing barrage of sound, backed up by second track 'Unfold'. 'Live Slowly' brings the acoustics to the fore in a beautiful ballad streaked with emotive and image-laden lyrics. Between the gentle sounds of surf surrounding 'Going Under' we are engulfed by guitar waves that crash onto shore much like the opening track from Slowdive's self-titled debut EP. A very encouraging debut release, Vaportrail leave a little something of themselves hanging in the air as the music fades away... (4 out of 5 stars)

Vaportrail adopted their band name from a song off Ride's debut album, and the British shoegazer bands of the '80s certainly seem to be the starting point for the music on this debut EP. Like those bands, Vaportrail work with a seemingly stark musical framework, but the music that comes out of that framework is not simple and is much fuller than it at first seems. Very rarely do drones sound this consistently intriguing and gorgeous. The music is not at all lazy, but is instead enveloped in a sort of psychedelic cloud that melts the senses into a half-time take on reality. Tempos are not so much lagging as they are in a suspended slow motion. In addition there is Mercury Rev-like deconstruction occurring with shards of noise as pure sound cutting through and then disappearing from the EP's four songs, and the spirit of Spiritualized hangs over the music. It's shocking to realize that three of the four songs are shorter than four-and-a-half minutes, for they sound as if they could continue for ten or fifteen minutes without losing any of their power. A fifth track, "Wallflower," is hidden, but it is a beautiful little gem. Unlike the rest of the EP, the song is mostly acoustic and introspective, but it retains the avalanching power of the other cuts, building to a glorious peak before dispersing. This first EP by Vaportrail is virtually perfect, a powerful candle with only one small flaw-its flame does not last nearly long enough.

Taking inspiration from Rush (look at the label name and also, on the press release, it says that "...the instruments listed within the liner notes are a half joking tribute to Rush. Think Permanent Waves.") Vaportrail create a swirly, moving ball of ambient noise-pop (esp. on the gorgeous opener, "Marbles in the Sky") that would be perfectly akin to early Smashing Orange, Swervedriver, or Deardarkhead. On the quieter, more reflective numbers the band sound not unlike Red House Painters, whose drummer they borrowed for this record (close your eyes and you'll swear it's Mark Kozelek's voice, esp. on "Live Slowly"). The record closes w/ the noisy yet organic instrumental "Going Under" (not a Devo cover) but then comes alive again w/ the hidden 5th track, "Wallflower", a really pretty acoustic number.

A daydream encircles me each time I listen to this record. I see a woman holding back dark, curly strands of hair from her face as she gazes with longing from a faraway island across an ocean's expanse. She awaits my approach. I drift over ocean waves on the back of rolling rhythms, my mind entwined with hers, my legs dangling over the side. Treated-guitar melodies sparkle and shimmer like waves tickled by the sunlight. With my eyes closed, the bright reflection looks like Heaven shining down upon me. It warms from the inside out.

On their debut ep, the San Francisco band Vaportrail blends acoustic rock with effects-laden shoegazing. It's a very appealing mixture, never going too far out into ambient territory, and never rocking out too much either. The first track, "marbles in the sky," is a soaring, near seven minute song that leans much more on the ambient swing of things without ever fully losing touch. "Unfold" is the most straightforward rock song on the ep, with a nice solo. Things settle back down for "Live Slowly...", which is almost devoid of effects, and is just a beautifully dreamy acoustic song. "Going Under" brings back the effects for some instrumental bliss. There is also an acoustic bonus track, which should have been listed, because it's just as pretty as any of the other tracks. The lyrics range from melancholic to longing, and fit the mood of the music. Roger Anderson's voice is smooth and the production is appropriately warm. This is truly beautiful music without any flaws to speak of.

Wrapped in the giddy feeling after a first date with a new spectacle, you dance around the apartment accompanying a favorite CD. By the third date you are picking out soundtracks to candle-lit dinners, Sunday afternoon coastal drives, and your first sexual encounter. Ride did all of the above quite well; especially their track "Vapour Trail". Vaportrail extract some of the candle flicker from Ride, as well as somber moments from the likes of Red House Painters, Half Film, Idaho and American Music Club that light up your house like 4th of July sparklers in slow motion. As the astute, yet relaxed 4/4 drums crack along, Vaportrail's bass and guitar intertwine like lovers wrapped in a maze of sheets, pillows and half-opened dazed eyelids. Embraced, your mind wanders on rusty halos and the egg-shell fragility of your heart. Tired, drained, motionless you lay there staring at the ceiling trying to remember if the giddy feeling or the exhausted feeling are more valuable. More memorable. The answer should be obvious.

I loved this one! From drone guitar to noisy pop and then the dreamy acoustic of "Wallflower." This band can keep you hanging on one chord like few others can (though so many try). And sometimes with e.p.'s you feel like they're over before they start, but this one feels like 20 minutes of forever. An all-day sucker you share with your invisible friend.

As the name indicates, this San Francisco trio is obviously inspired by the early 90's British shoegazing scene, namely Ride, whose song "Vapour Trail" was one of the best tracks on their classic 1990 debut Nowhere. That said, Vaportrail are not rip-off artists. On their self-titled EP, Vaportrail give new life to the genre with inspired playing and exceptional songwriting. Most like-minded American groups tend to be too polite, emphasizing the ethereal elements of dreampop over raw passion. Vaportrail, on the other hand, aren't afraid of noise. "Marbles In The Sky", "Unfold", and especially "Going Under", with its in-your-face hypnotic intro, are prime examples of blissful effects-laden white noise. The group does show diversity though - the Revolver-like ballad "Live Slowly" and the 'secret' track at the end of this EP hint at a level of sensitivity that groups usually don't display this early in their careers. Excellent. - Ben Vendetta

For those grieving the decline of British shoegazing bands in recent years, Vaportrail offers an emphatic remedy. Not only has the San Francisco trio plucked its name from an old Ride single, but on this five-song EP (counting the in vogue unlisted track "Wallflower") it does a faithful job resurrecting the reverberating, densely-layered guitars and whisper-sung vocals of its former English counterpart. Oddly enough, it's the near-acoustic "Live Slowly..." that stands out as the disc's most poignant moment, minus the lyric "Someone I know is sadder than a circus animal." The Red House Painters' Anthony Koutsos guests on drums.

Kevin Shields had it, but he sure did drop the ball. He and the rest of My Bloody Valentine, have left a gap in the swirly pop section of the local Quickie-stop, leaving folks like Vaportrail starving for some sonically subversive confections. Being a crafty ilk, Vaportrail chose to not fall victim to other's laziness and opted to create their own aural sweets perfectly tuned to the discerning shoegazer ear. With a Rush-like list of noisemakers, Vaportrail are the musical equivalent to an Irish Coffee; They keep ya wired while making ya tired.

Vaportrail is a San Francisco band that plays what's sometimes called space-rock, a sort of fusion of modern rock and ambient music. Try to imagine a combination of elements from Rush, Pearl Jam, early Pink Floyd, and even Tangerine Dream. This music isn't meant to be listened to it's meant to be experienced. The bass and drums provide the general setting and the guitar swirls in, out, and around you creating a musical experience that doesn't exist in modern radio. It's enjoyable, it's personal, and it takes musical talent to pull off, but it's also, unfortunately, not likely to draw mass attention. This CD contains 5 tracks, 4 which are listed on the sleeve and an additional "hidden track." It runs just under a half-hour and succeeds in showing Vaportrail to be a serious entry into this rather small genre. The band consists of Roger Anderson on guitar and vocals, Mark Dansby on bass, and Anthony Koutsos filling in on drums while the band was between drummers. I enjoyed this disc and found myself wanting to hear more from the band. My favorite track is "Going Under," the only instrumental, because I find the vocals to sometimes be intrusive with this particular type of music. "Going Under" features the cool swirling guitar sounds that successfully sell the whole space rock experience. For anyone that doesn't understand it, this one track is really what it's all about. It's 4 ½ minutes of instrumental bliss that you'll wish was extended to 10. Of the remaining tracks, "Unfold" really rocks and "Marbles In The Sky" stakes out the middle ground between the two. "Live Slowly.", and the hidden track, "Wallflower", are slower in tempo but enjoyable nonetheless. I'd recommend Vaportrail to anyone interested in the space rock genre, anyone who wants to give it a shot, and anyone who's just bored with the current state of radio and wants something real, and different. The band is offering these 5-track CDs for a measly 5 bucks on their webpage and deserves praise for doing so. So order your copy today!

I've noticed a surge of these space rock bands that instead of heading off to the "space" side of the equation, they sway towards the "rock" side. Vaportrail gets more rock out of their trips into the galaxy and they come back to Earth with love songs. Their two acoustic songs are darling! These guys remind me of a mixture of the late Emperor Moth, Starphase 23 (a lot - but without the fancy effects), and the Red House Painters. The drummer on this is the RHP drummer, in fact. I like this EP. It's sweet and swoon-worthy for late night listening.

When I first got this CD, I couldn't stop listening to it. I would sit in my chair, in the best position to hear the stereo effects, close my eyes and let this music take me to the outer reaches of my subconscious. When I, in my fury of excitement, presented this music to Mike the editor, he didn't seem to find the same appeal that I had found. In fact, he didn't find any appeal at all. Subsequently, a debate of sorts took place between he and I as to the validity of this kind of music and merit of this particular CD.

I couldn't effectively defend my opinion, and for a music reviewer this is, to say the least, a very bad thing; in our conversation I basically wound up saying "I like them because they're cool." Having a few days to ponder the defeat of my wit and wisdom and the serious blow to my ego, I have realized that this is music you simply either get or you don't. Those who get it will probably have Spiritualized, early Verve, The Velvet Underground, and possibly Pink Floyd in their collection of albums. Those who don't get it look at those who do with a sense of pity and wonderment that someone could be amused by something so musically simple that you can't even dance to.

Vaportrail is very hard to appreciate if you can't sit still for awhile, close your eyes and listen to music that is somewhere in between sonic landscapes and songs. In other words, you can't dance to it, and in order to get the full effect you probably shouldn't even move. This CD is something like heroin in that when it affects you, all you can do is stare into space, let the world swirl around you, and enjoy the ride.