Virtue - The Voidz

Album review by Piyush Mohan

Emerging from the depths of New York City's vibrant underground music scene, The Voidz, fronted by the enigmatic Julian Casablancas of The Strokes fame, unveiled their sophomore album, "Virtue," in 2018. While their debut LP, "Tyranny," hinted at their penchant for genre-bending and sonic exploration, "Virtue" fully embraced their audacious musical vision, catapulting them into the realm of rock's most unpredictable and exhilarating acts. Diverging from the familiar strokes of Casablancas' past, "Virtue" is a bold experiment that amalgamates elements of garage rock, punk, new wave, and a splash of the avant-garde.

As Julian Casablancas puts it, "It's not a futuristic album. It's more like a futuristic prison jazz album". Pitchfork (6.9/10) praised the album's "fearless experimentation" and "catchy melodies," while also noting that it may not be as "immediately accessible" as The Strokes' early work. Fantano, in his review, called the album "a great record that showcases the band's growth and experimentation (Light 8)."

The album's opener, "Leave It in My Dreams", entices listeners with the classic Strokes' sound before bursting into madness with "QYURRYUS", one of the album's most infectious tunes. The funky middle-eastern inspired track was once described as "Cyber-Arabic-Prison-Jazz" by the band. Another captivating track, "AlieNNation", as described by Anthony Fantano features "sad-sanitised-futuristic elevator music". The album is full of high energy rock with tracks like "Pyramid of Bones", "We're Where We Were", and "One of the Ones" paired with melodic melancholic expressions such as "Pink Ocean", "Lazy Boy" and "Pointlessness". The album also features a very groovy 80's funkadelic inspired track, "All Wordz are Made Up" and, as PitchFork calls it, the "Robo-Metal rager with toilet-bowl-production" called "Black Hole".

In terms of themes, "Virtue" is a thought-provoking and challenging album that offers no easy answers. It is a record that invites listeners to question their assumptions and explore the complexities of the modern world. One strongly evident topic on the album is alienation and the sense of unease with the modern world. Lyrics from other tracks also provide a cryptic political commentary addressing issues of social injustice. Another evident theme on the album is existentialism and the idea of self-reflection in this foreign modern world. The Voidz's exploration of these themes is further enhanced by their eclectic and experimental approach to music. The album's diverse soundscapes, ranging from new wave grooves to post-punk textures, mirror the complexity and contradictions of the modern world, reflecting the album's overall message of alienation, uncertainty, and the search for meaning amidst chaos.

In conclusion, The Voidz's "Virtue" is an audacious and thought-provoking album that demands attention and rewards repeated listens, revealing new layers of meaning and sonic delights with each encounter. A YouTube comment called the album "A box of crayons", which totally ties with the idea as the album is filled with a vibrant array of colors, each representing a distinct facet of the album's complex and multifaceted sonic palette. The tracks, like crayons, are used to paint a bigger abstract image that is hard to pin down to a particular category of music. "Virtue" is one of those albums that challenge listeners to step outside their comfort zones and embrace the unexpected, reminding us that true artistic expression lies in pushing boundaries and exploring the uncharted territories of sound and meaning.

Written by Piyush Mohan.