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VersaEmerge
PERCEPTIONS
Label: None
Release: May 2008
Type: EP
Genre: Post-Alternative
Links: Official, MySpace, Wiki
This first effort from VersaEmerge with Sierra Kusterbeck on lead vocals is certainly not a wasted one. The 7-track EP is a hard-edged one; consisting of many genres intermixing to create this masterpiece. The intro, “Percipere” begins the dance through VersaEmerge’s complex layers and cryptic lyrics, finally exploding into a subtle exclamation of hope. “In Pursuing Design” begins with Kusterbeck’s power house voice, exclaiming “Now that you know,” which is accompanied by guitarist, Blake Harnage’s, incredible finger tapping opening riff. With an unusual song structure that grabs you from beginning to end, VersaEmerge continues the estranged message of hope into the coming songs and throughout the EP.
The next track brings a poppier and more upbeat feel to it; “Consider the Sea” is definitely a stand out track on the EP. Bringing in familiar images such as the ocean and fragments of time, Kusterbeck finds a new and interesting perspective on how to convey them, her lyrics and melodies are undeniably unique. The riffs Harnage creates to accompany Kusterbeck are also unique in their own light, matching her voice and lyrics perfectly. As “Consider the Sea” winds down, the listener is cast into a melancholy interlude, which displays the perfect balance VersaEmerge has found between organic and electronic.
This interlude also displays their love for the theatrical, slowing the momentum down, just like a favorite film does, before crashing in with “The Authors,” which displays the everlasting struggle with faith and who one really is. Once again, this band finds an original way to convey the clichéd message, exclaiming that they “can break out of this name,” and “give ourselves meaning.” This track brings back the unusual song structure as stated previously, although it is a standard verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus structure, but the way the band compels it is something much different. Coming out of the first chorus, the second verse is calming, creating an ironic feel as the first verse could see kids fist-pumping and foot-stomping.
The EP’s penultimate song “Clocks” is the most noteworthy. It is the most different song on the EP and it stands out above the rest. With a twisting intro that gives the musical visual of time’s hands turning, the song whisks away into a world VersaEmerge has created where whites are pulled from eyes and a man in the mountain “follows you.” The metaphors in the lyrics allow the listener to interpret them any way. Each listen is completely unique and each time there is something different to be pulled out of the song, and that is truly special.
The album's closing interlude recycles lyrics from the previous one and brings the album a sense of togetherness and closure, building up to a mass of instrumental layers and finally panning out to a soft finale. “Perceptions” is a breath of fresh air, and VersaEmerge has now released another EP and LP, building more layers to this fantastical world of music only they could open up.
Recommended for fans of: Circa Survive, Tim Burton, Danny Elfman
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