Vaiya, Remnant Light, Natural World Records, CD (2014)
Melbourne-based one-man BM act Vaiya has been around since 2010, generating a steady flow of releases, but this full-length is his first. Clocking in at just over 39 minutes with each track 13 minutes long, the recording is intended as an immersive ambient meditation on one’s purpose in life and place in the cosmic order. The style of music is highly atmospheric and minimalist and repetitive in structure; the mood is often very bleak, incredibly sad and despairing.
“Confrontation” does what it says on the tin: by turns it’s aggressive, sad and introspective, as the protagonist vocalist contemplates his life and questions his history and future direction. Early on the rhythms are fast with thundering energetic percussion and dark guitar arpeggio chords, and the vocals are harsh and tortured; as the song progresses, realisation dawns and the music turns quiet and thoughtful, and gentle acoustic guitar melody flows tenderly through the empty darkness. The singing calms down considerably but hurt and pain are still present. “Banishment” doesn’t add much new to the music so I assume the title describes the state the protagonist finds himself in rather than the act itself: compared to the previous track, this is fairly steady-state with frequent outbreaks of fast blast-beat percussion and wailing vocals. An epic and majestic quality gradually emerges from the constant repetitive thrumming riffs that dominate the track. The track passes through various emotions ranging from anger and frustration to resignation and acceptance.
“Transformation” starts off in fine furious and intense mode with choppy drumming, stormy hornet guitar and near-bloodcurdling howls and screams. The mood is very mean, bordering on explosive hostility. The music moves with some effort – this is deliberate as the track details the work that must be done for the protagonist to achieve enlightenment and go on to another plane of consciousness and existence – taking the listener on a journey that turns out to be enthralling and fulfilling in many ways. The vocalist appears to achieve peace and those of us who have stayed the course with him will experience joy for him. The reward is bliss and serenity and a feeling of connection with nature and the universe.
With the vocals veiled in echo and distant in the mix, the lyrics can be a bit hard to follow which is a let-down as they are significant for a full appreciation of each track.
Though the album tends towards a minimalist and repetitive approach in music composition and the variety of melodies and riffs is limited, it has a fresh and heartfelt sound. No doubt this is because Rob Allen, the man behind Vaiya, plays all original and live instruments where possible. The music has a solid feel due to the layering of instruments and a keen ear on Allen’s part for the appropriate sound and tone to correspond with the mood required. Production quality is clear with a raw edge.
What remains with the listener after the album concludes is the sense of a powerful and raw epic music, deep in sound, highly expressive and capable of ranging across the entire spectrum of human emotion, with great potential to be much more than it currently is. This is music that can reach for the stars and beyond.
Contact: Natural World Records