Vesuvio Solo
The awesome & epic world of Vesuvio Solo; photographed by Michael James.
The brand new second album Don’t Leave Me in the Dark from Montréal’s Vesuvio Solo has helped officially mark the advent of fall with the one of the year’s most anticipated releases. Available now via Atelier Ciseaux & Banko Gotiti, former TOPS member and currently of Exit Someone Thom Gillies with Cameron MacLean continue their song composition tradition recording the new album with Pat Gregoire at Hotel2Tango. The result of these combined visions & talents makes for the most exciting Vesuvio Solo release yet where we are treated to a cycle of sophisticated & refreshingly experimental yet exciting arrangements that rewrite the analog radio pop rule books.
Don’t Leave Me in The Dark opens with the title track that is executed with a lo-fi atmosphere of dry ice machine mystery. Making their way out of the darkened wings, Vesuvio Solo reaches for the light with a heady brew of strings and keys that can be heard practically being melted together. The track “Night Drive” feels like a surreal freeway joyride that is populated by plenty of sexy saxophone that feels like a chill road trip that runs from MTL to LA. “Interlude” provides just that where we are treated to some funky guitars that sound muffled and shrouded as if performed under a downy comforter. The narrative continues with the glittering shine of “Flakes” that sounds like one of the best soft-pop hits from a forgotten 70s or 80s disc of gentle album rock that leads the way to the timeless “Guardian” that rocks with a head-bopping rhythm sequence & sense of distinction & sophistication as heard in the incredible arrangement that burrows the chorus quip of “love is a chain reaction” deep into your brain. The sensuous & sublime style of Vesuvio Solo only grows in stature as the song continues as heard on chamber pop of “Mirror Held To The Flower”, to the time-tripping “Memory Loss” that makes certain nostalgic sound sentiments (and chord progressions) feel like a forthcoming future trend. Vesuvio gets confrontational on the emotionally wrought but still sensitive “Tension” that questions the weirdness that flows between two people that is delivered in a timeless fashion that takes you to the closing number “Nimbus” that rides on a summer breeze to keep you warm all winter & fall. Vesuvio Solo’s Thom & Cameron took the time to chat with us in our following interview round feature.
Tell us about the evolution of Vesuvio Solo from 2014’s Favors to your new album Don’t Leave Me In the Dark.
Thom: It’s hard to say. Dark was recorded only a few months after the first record was released actually. I would have preferred to have released these new songs sooner but other projects and ambitions got in the way so it became a longer process to finish. Zac joining the band was a big one for me at the time.
Cameron: We both read a lot more widely in different areas. I guess this helped our lyrical development. Musical/production development happens in a more mysterious way, and the recordings speak for themselves in terms of that I think.
Catching up with Vesuvio Solo; photographed by Michael James.
The entire new album has such rich arrangements that are very well thought out and include such an array of musical styles. How did you and everyone go about making such a great sophisticated cycle of songs?
Thom: Yeah, we had some new material that we’d been rehearsing in the studio. I guess I would just try and draw from different influences that I had at the time. I was really into this funk compilation called Purple Snow, which featured a lot of interesting synth and arrangement choices. Zac wrote a lot of the lead piano parts.
Cam: I’m not sure that I would say that the new arrangements are ‘well thought out,’ and in fact I think they are more improvises in some senses than those on the first album. This is definitely true as far as the wind instrument parts, which were all composed in the studio.
What else can you tell us about your own processes & song sketching for the ambitious work, Don’t Leave Me In the Dark?
Thom: I was eating a lot of Pho soup at the time. I think I just wanted to make a coherent sounding record. Cam and I couldn’t afford to make this album but somehow figured it out. A lot of the time we would work with Pat separately on certain sections. Light drug use was a thing.
album cover for Vesuvio Solo’s Don’t Leave Me In The Dark LP.
How did your time in TOPS impact the sounds you’ve been making now?
Thom: Oh yes, I enjoyed our time together. Jane and David are both very strong songwriters. I hadn’t really been involved with any real song writing until I played with them. So yeah, it had a big impact on me. They are some of the hardest working musicians I’ve ever collaborated with. However, it just made me want to do my own thing, which inevitably drove us apart.
What have you learned about yourself this time around, being that this new album is one of your most distinguished offerings yet?
Thom: Montreal artist/musician, Tess Roby sang back up on some of the songs. Would have been nice to have here featured more. I think I’ve learned that having more of a female presence is necessary.
Cameron: Your friend is your needs answered.
What else should the world be championing & listening to & read & watching out for right now?
Thom: My friend June has a band called Forever. She’s making a new album this year. She also showed me this book called I Love Dick by Chris Kraus that I’m reading right now. She’s a filmmaker/writer from LA and I think she’s brilliant. I also just discovered this Russian electronic musician named Kedr Livanskiy. Her videos are stunning.
Vesuvio Solo’s new album Don’t Leave Me In The Dark is available now via Atelier Ciseaux & Banko Gotiti.
