Max Vague - maxvague (2005)

This one came out some time ago – over a year, to be exact – but the Reverend has refrained from writing about it until now. It's not that your humble scribe couldn't put his finger on it, it's just that after reviewing nearly every Max Vague album extant, from 1991's Love In A Thousand Faces through 1998's Kill The Giant, this critic had run out of superlatives and adjectives to use in describing Vague's work. I have long asserted that Vague is the most exciting and interesting musician working in Nashville over the past decade (only the talented and chameleon-like Aashid Himmons comes close).

While other local artists/bands have been chasing trends or working in established (i.e. commercial) musical genres, Vague has continued to push the envelope, to expand his sound with various musicians, studio techniques and artistic experimentation. Yet, outside of a loyal cult following, Max gets no respect from the industry "powers-that-be" in the "Music City." These mindless authority figures that should be bowing at his feet and offering praise to the gods that Nashville has an artist as willing to bare their soul as has Vague over the course of five albums.

Vague's self-titled sixth album does not fall short of his previous work. Although he has once again expanded his sound – towards a more atmospheric vibe – the songs are all vintage Vague. A vastly underrated guitarist, Vague coaxes and coerces tones from his stick that these ears have never heard, complimenting his impressive fretwork with imaginative keyboard/synth work and sparse percussion. Unlike his last few albums, which were created with a small band including drummer Kenny Wright, Vague plays all the instruments this time around (save for a lone guitar from Wright on one song).

As per usual, Vague produced the album in his home studio, the last true lone wolf of "D.I.Y." perhaps, Vague eschewing label involvement to better capture his unique musical vision. Also per usual, Vague's production on maxvague is immaculate, his seamless layering of vocals and instrumentation in the painting of each track a fine example of self-independence that should have the recording industry quaking in their boots. If the labels can't control the production and dumbing-down of an artist's vision, how will they control the commercial process? Vague is a rebel and a pioneer and if he never records another record, he can be proud of what he has accomplished.

So what about the songs on maxvague? You could term them prog-rock or art-rock or psychedelic rock or any one of a number of useless labels and you'd be both right and wrong. Vague's unique vision is informed by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, the Beatles – a veritable melting pot of artist influences, filtered through an amazing creative mind. Although Vague's oblique, poetic lyrics are often times quite maddening, defying interpretation, they provide hours of food for thought and are supported by a complex, deeply-emotional soundscape.

In the wake of Vague's divorce, an identity crisis, artistic meltdown and romance renewed, much of maxvague the album deals with the mind, the fragile instrument that is the wellspring of emotion, creativity and thought. Woven throughout these songs are many questions that we could all ask of ourselves. "break it down" asks "am I cracking up? am I already there?" before concluding that "I can't connect or redirect or make sense of this mess." Vague's personal anguish comes to the fore, the artist singing "nobody will ever understand the way this feels," pointing out that emotion is truly personal and none of us ever really understand what is going on inside somebody else's heart and mind. The album-opening "lights out" features a swirl of sound that recycles a common riff from half-dozen previous songs, Vague's muted vocals almost lost in the mix. The song "break it down" features the clever use of a main vocal supported by sparse instrumentation and a multi-tracked underlying vocal that runs throughout the song.

With the cautious "321212" Vague is careful not to reveal too much, not to his audience or to friends and lovers, singing "you will never know my name, you will not see me again" over and over, denying any human connection and retreating behind a mask of emotion. The artist's alienation is profound, choking on his emotions with "sometimes," a taut, fuzzed-out guitar lead supporting the chorus "sometimes I can't get my breath," the important, insightful comment "life's a cruel teacher" hidden away in the middle of the song, almost lost amidst dense instrumentation. Clues to Vague's state of mind are scattered through the lyrics, enlightening bits of codes that defy deciphering: "I wish I was a better man." "Call me unpredictable." "All it would take is a little patience to get me through this complacence." "I'm in awe of the power, it's got me on my knees."

It is love that throws a life preserver to the drowning man, pulling him out of depression and confusion and desperation and providing a light in the darkness. The album closes with "deeper," an affirmation of being that has the protagonist fighting the feelings swelling up inside, "the door is locked, so I walk around" leads into "I'm not going there again." In the end, despite his best attempts, "you turn around and all I see" is how maxvague closes, the song cycle coming full circle, the singer traveling through a personal hell to emerge out of the darkness an older and, hopefully wiser man.

The album is also about the choices we make and the consequences that we suffer. Max Vague is a friend of mine, and although I can't say that I've always agreed with the choices that he has made through the years, he has always pursued his own vision and followed his own counsel, no matter the personal cost. There's no denying the power of his music, Vague's gift of artistic expression and his instrumental prowess making him the most consistently interesting and intriguing artist working in the American underground today. The album maxvague is an important, vital addition to the artist's canon, and a CD that should not be overlooked by any listener desiring an intense and personal musical experience. (Eleven Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy maxvague from CD Baby)