CASA - the contemporary a cappella society - CD Review: Vox One's "Pure Imagination"

CD Review: Vox One's "Pure Imagination"

Written by Sean Dargie

Saturday, 24 December 2005

One of a cappella’s flagship groups has emerged from retirement boasting this gem from the fabled Lost Caves of Awesome Music. That’s right, kids; Vox One has a new album called Pure Imagination.

Let me make this short and sweet…wow.

Ok, let me make this a little longer and sweeter. These 14 tracks (plus one hidden track) shouldn’t be listened to; they should be dissected, devoured, and digested from every angle.

SINGERS – All of the members of Vox One are vocal performance and ear training professors at Berklee College of Music. Their technique is impeccable and captivating no matter what weird sounds or syllables they are making. Not only that, but there are five tracks of improvisation on this album that, while not as polished as the rehearsed arrangements, hold their own with lush textures that ebb and flow in different but always feel “right.” Good stuff.

ARRANGERS – Pay attention to two very specific things about these songs; singability and inevitability. No matter how complex the harmonies get - and they get pretty thick sometimes - each line stays melodic and is memorable in it’s own right, without the support of the rest of the voices. On top of that, everything is, well, complete. There is no residual desire to tweak any part of any arrangement. Tough stuff.

MOUTH DRUMMERS – "Kind of a 3" is a veritable vocal percussive playground (think Blue Man Group with a pitch pipe) and Stiller’s crisp and intense approach leaves no doubt that his mother’s womb was really a kick drum and that he was raised on a steady diet of cymbal cereal and rudiment snacks. ‘Nuff said.

TEACHERS – (uh oh, pedagogy) Not only does this album provide a shining example of vocal technique and ingenuity for you students to listen to, it also is great fodder for lessons focusing on the last two National Standards of Music Education; “Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts” and “Understanding music in relation to history and culture.” "Kind of a 3" is based on North Indian rhythms and cadences. "Simple Gifts" is a strong piece of our country’s music heritage and the background text is Swahili for “dance and sing”. "Woodstock" is Joni Mitchell’s moving interpretation of the attitudes and desires leading up to that momentous event, and is a great way to show what was happening in our culture at the time. Ok, enough of that. I just figured that an album made by teachers that’s being reviewed by a soon-to-be-graduated teacher could be dissected a little for other teachers looking to boost their listening library.

Anyways, back to short and sweet. This is one of those albums that you want to have on hand to convince your frat siblings that a cappella really is cool. Or you could just listen to it over and over and over again. If you’re into that sort of thing.