Localized Music: Influences edition with Allá, Vee Dee, and New Ruins

All bands have influences, musically speaking, but the truly good ones use those influences as a springboard to craft their own identities. Enter local outfits Allá, Vee Dee, and New Ruins. All have new albums; all are poised to take that next big step towards a signature sound. This is a crucial time for those involved, but while two soar (to various degrees), one continues to be a carbon copy of the real thing.

Allá, Digs
One of the most surprising successes comes in the form of a cover album. After spending the better part of a decade working to finance and record 2008’s lush, orchestral psych-folk record Es Tiempo, one could hardly blame Chicago trio Allá for screaming at the thought of more studio time. And yet, the band has just issued a new EP, Digs, consisting of five covers ranging from the popular (Kanye West) to the more obscure (Los Dug Dugs, Faust), and one original song (opening castoff “Si Se Puede.”)

The EP’s newly stripped-down sound—so long, luminous strings, hello raw-rawk guitars—fits the band well. Granted, some reinterpretations are better than others. (An industrial grind doesn’t quite suit The Residents’ “New Hymn”). But at the very least, Digs demonstrates that no matter what sound the group dabbles in, be it rich orch-pop or stripped-down psych-punk, Allá has a strong grasp of where it came from—and, more importantly, of where it’ll proceed.

Grade: B+

Vee Dee, Public Mental Health System

For some bands, progressing to a new sound requires slow and steady motion. As far as influences are concerned, there’s no doubt that proto-punk legends MC5 and The Stooges are reference points for local garage-rock vets Vee Dee. And, for the first few songs on its latest album, Public Mental Health System, very little suggests that the trio has changed its affinity for grungy riffs, wah-heavy licks, and howling vocals. As Public Mental Health System progresses, however, a stranger, less definable musical styling creeps into the band’s sound. Songs like “Electric Room” begin to branch out into more adventurous territory by incorporating jazz-heavy bass lines and improv-influenced song structures.

Halfway through, the group's unexpected garage-pop wallop has just as much of an impact as the band's more experimental forays in ghostly Sonic Youth-esque rock. From side two and on, Vee Dee’s Public Mental Health System reveals itself as the kind of melodically-fractured double album that indie bands used to create on seminal labels like SST—in other words, a revelation.

Grade: A

New Ruins, We Make Our Own Bad Luck

Just as there are bands that transcend their influences, there are groups that attempt similar feats only to succumb to repeating the past. New Ruins, from Champaign-Urbana (who releases their second album, We Make Our Own Bad Luck, tonight at Schubas), sounds like a number of notable groups, like The National and Built to Spill. Luck attempts to combine rich, autumnal qualities of the former, with the boyishly melodic vocals of the latter.

There are times where this alt-rock bouillabaisse works to wondrous effect: “Symptoms” is achingly gorgeous alt-country, with beautifully layered textures from pedal-steel guitar and violin. But mostly, We Make Our Own Bad Luck sounds a little too subdued for its own good, and its Death Cab For Cutie-esque college-pop songs, like “Curse” and “Years,” can’t help but come off as tasteful, yet bland, sonic wallpaper.

Grade: C+

Here's "Symptoms," by New Ruins:

"Symptoms" by New Ruins