One night I was searching for music and saw a nice dark red cover with a simple name, The Young Vanish. For some reason I expected a college-aged guy playing an emo album. I was wrong. The Young Vanish is the name of an incredible acoustic artist from the UK. His solo acoustic work on this album stunned me, in a good way, from the first click of play.
The first song “Amsterdam” has some of the most amazing subtle chromatic guitar plucking I’ve heard in a long time. The genuine British accent really works with the music. Actually, GENUINE is my favorite word for The Young Vanish. In a music world full of fakes, phonies, and frauds, The Young Vanish puts out some of rawest, most honest music you will ever hear. “Amsterdam” is the kind of song that takes the listener on a journey. It is comfortable, softly sad, “down on my knees again praying silently please again…” This lovelorn writer is seeking a “girl with lonely bones.” It is, and I hate to make this comparison flippantly, like a resurrected John Lennon. Seriously, he’s that good.
“Julia,” also has the theme of romance throughout. The vocals on the track are a bit different, but they still preserve the genuineness of the work. “Bring me down here… why would you bring me down here?” is a repetitive lyric that seems to cut right to the heart of seeking understanding in a seemingly confusing relationship. This song is evidence of a really raw self searching. This whole album, really, gives the feeling of reading someone’s diary. Thank you, Young Vanish, for letting us into your world in such a deep personal way.
The third track, “Belljarred” is probably the class of the album. It’s on par with “Amsterdam” in terms of its musical complexity. And seriously, these lyrics will blow you away. “Think that I am silent I just speak a different way. You’re all about the darkness and I’m all about the day. Nothing is of comfort nothing anybody says is true. “ It’s a beautiful reflection of a relationship. The haunting, “Always on the road” with its ambient sound is just a wonderful touch in the middle of the song. Again the minor chromatics give the song a unique and wonderful flavor. “Lifetime getting belljarred, never was a rolling stone” seems to connote a sense of pity, but does so in a fascinating. “When the darkness comes there will be nothing on my mind…” Wow.
While all of the tracks are solo guitar and one singer (and some dubbed harmonies), there are a nice variety of sounds here. The last two songs on the album “Blackpool” and “Welcome Home” are fitting of the rest of the tracks. The register on “Welcome Home” is noticeably lower, creating an altogether different sound. Overall the album presents a melancholy genuineness that is very intriguing. As I wrote above, this glimpse into the writer’s personhood makes the album feel right.
If you’re a fan of acoustic music, sincere lyrics, and an overall genuine artist, this is the album for you. Check it out for free on Bandcamp now. We’re hoping to have an interview with The Young Vanish for you soon.
