Brooklyn's Newest Craftmasters: Via Audio December Feature 2006   Photo by Jim Eno

Feature Article by Ben Krieger

Some bands are just vehicles for the songwriting, their music playing a secondary role to a lyrical story and/or conceptual vision. Via Audio represent the flipside of that coin; together, the members have created a synth-pop factory that consumes individual ideas and churns out irresistible gems. Whereas some bands are shaped by the force of a single ego, this outfit operates as a collective. As drummer Danny Molad puts it, "we make [the initial song ideas] 'Via Audio'." This approach has resulted in an impressively charming, soon-to-be-released record entitled Say Something.

The sound draws from a wide variety of influences and coalesces into pop tunes driven equally by synth patterns, guitar riffs, vocal harmonies, and an inventive rhythm section. During our interview, the band and I joked about guitarist Tom Dies' love for Yes (the two of us were the only fans at the table). While Via Audio sounds nothing like that masterful act from the 70s, a coincidental comparison can be made: it is difficult to pick out a dominant musician. Much like Jon Anderson used to present Yes with scraps of melody that the rest of the group would turn into 20-minute, professional-sounding epics, the band members in Via Audio present sketches that the group converts dramatically. Likewise, The Beatles/George Martin arrangement engine is a strong presence within Via Audio. Familiar Fab Four harmonies abound in nearly every song, and beneath the instrumental layers lies a firm grasp of genre-jumping.

Photo by Anthony Lanzilote

There are three distinct songwriting personalities in the initial songwriting stages. Vocalist Jessica Martins brings a cast of frustrated lovers to the table. Her characters can be on either side of the "one more try" scenario, trying to make a relationship work in the face of inevitable defeat, or reflecting on the damage after the partner has already been given the boot. "I haven’t had anyone to answer to in a long time/so forgive me if I’m rusty" she says on "We Can Be Good." While Dies' guitar technique echoes craftier players such as the Edge, Summers and Howe, his songwriting reflects his love of morose 90s grunge. If a character in a Via Audio song exhibits a Layne Staley moment, Dies is probably responsible. Bassist David Lizmi takes a more cryptic route, creating story songs that are missing just enough puzzle pieces to make them mysterious, yet decipherable upon repeated listens. "Developing Active People" has something to with a car accident, a couple, and a plan. The couple seems to have survived the ordeal, and on spin number 5, that’s all I have gathered. I love it.

What really makes Via Audio such a hoot, however, is how these individual voices and emotions get sonically transformed into the end result. "Hazmat" maintains a relatively mellow tone that suits the subject matter, but for the most part the band is more than willing to bash heads with the lyrical tone if it will produce a more interesting musical composition. "Enunciation" is a great example. Borrowing from the "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)" approach of a distorted-swing-to-latin-jazz-and-back arrangement, the band turns this relationship song into something that can only be described as hilariously perverse. "Harder on Me" has Molad dressing up what could have been a simple 6/4 time signature while "From Clouds" shows off another aspect of Via Audio's musical intellect, leaving out unnecessary measures in between verses. "I Can’t Focus" also runs through a variety of textures and dynamics before subsiding into a tired, gospel-influenced breakdown. One can imagine the band laying down their instruments in exhaustion and lowering the faders on this mighty effort.

"We got lucky." That is the band’s response to how they ended up with Jim Eno in the production chair. It all started with an impressive demo that was handed off, placed in a stack of similar Hail Maries, listened to by chance and eventually placed in the hands of Spoon’s producer/drummer. Audiophiles will get a kick out of the similarities between the drum sounds on Say Something and Girls Can Tell. Via Audio has taken as many chances with the mixing as they have with the writing, and each song reveals countless studio tricks upon additional listens. Vocals recorded under various levels of reverb blend into each other, sometimes within a single vocal phrase. Every instrument can be heard distinctly. Budding sound engineers could use Say Something to take notes on the opportunities that present themselves with a proper knowledge of EQ. An example is "Numb," which contains an incredibly thin lead vocal behind a full sounding rhythm section that’s been shoved to the forefront... surprisingly, it works.

Member by member, the band has slowly relocated to New York from the Boston area, where they attended the same music school. A lost hard drive set them back significantly during the initial attempts to record; a potential record deal fell through, leaving them with a collection of songs that, admittedly, they might not have completed if not for that initial "lunch meeting." And here they are: an incredibly talented ensemble that has created one of the finest examples of pop craftsmanship since Blur in their heyday. This is smart, danceable, East Coast music designed for rush-hour commutes on crowded public transportation. Say Something is slated for release in the first quarter of 2007. Until then, you can get your fix at the band’s website and at the December 21 Jezebel Music Feature Show. Galapagos. Be there!

http://www.viaaudio.net/