REVIEW: The Vents, Venus Again (MCA/Way Cool Music)

- Linda Scott

The Vents sound a lot like that Brit band with the bowl haircuts. That's not necessarily bad depending on your Beatles opinion. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Beatles are currently being flattered by all kinds of bands including the top UK band, Oasis. The Vents are not a tribute band; like Oasis, they have their own songs. Venus Again has 12 original tracks all composed by lead vocalist and songwriter Devin Powers, who names his influences The Who, T-Rex, and (surprise!) the Beatles.

Powers is the driving force behind The Vents. In addition to composing, he played every instrument on every song here except drums which were handled by Jimmy Sage. Powers also produced and engineeered all tracks. Once the album was completed, Shawn Rorie (guitar/vocals) and Pat Wisley (bass/vocals)were signed on. Devin characterizes their sound as big guitars, distortion, and melodic bass lines, but you might also say pop/rock, harmonic vocals, uniformity.

It's hard to select one of the tracks as a potential single. All the songs are light and rocking, and none really stands out that far from the rest. This doesn't mean they are bad songs - actually they are above average. For a debut album, The Vents sound good, but they need more variety. Perhaps Powers will be sharing future musical composition and some of the other work with the band to get some diversity.

If you like the Beatles/Oasis pairing or debut albums with a pop/rock flair, this album may be for you. The band has some potential, and we expect good things from them in the future. Why not get in on their ground floor?