Vintage Review: Max Vague's S.O.S. The Party's Over (1993)

Nashville is a hotbed of rock ‘n’ roll talent, but not in the way that one might think. Outside of the so-called “alternative” throngs – bands trying to chase the trend of the moment -- are a handful of musicians who are taking risks, ignoring the popular currents, and following their own artistic vision. One such artist is Max Vague...

A Music City immigrant by way of Los Angeles, Vague brought with him some curious baggage, such as artistic integrity, a distinct musical style and the tools and ability to bring his vision to fruition. Vague made a splash earlier this year with the pop-flavored Love In A Thousand Faces, his impressive debut CD. Hot on the heels of that musical triumph, Vague closes 1993 with the release of S.O.S. The Party’s Over.

Musically, S.O.S. draws from a veritable wellspring of influences: Peter Gabriel, Eno, Pink Floyd...all pulled together into a cohesive musical whole. Vague provides nearly all of the instrumentation here, creating a lush, complex landscape that is a wonder in its beauty, awe-inspiring in its diversity and breathtaking in its scope. Upon this soundtrack, Vague has embroidered his lyrical poetry.

Imaginative, colorful, and intriguing, the songs on S.O.S. are like a puzzle box whose solution awaits discovery. Whereas some of the cuts are more straightforward in their understanding – the title cut’s theme of modern alienation, for example – others, such as the haunting “Home” (with its fatalistic refrain, “we slide into obscurity with drugs and MTV, we know too much, we can’t survive, they’ll never let us out alive, our only option is to hide and let them roll on by”) require a bit more thought. The rose-colored glasses on the disc’s cover may provide Vague with a different take on life, but even they can’t hide the political reality presented in cuts like “Believe” (“we focus on the sleight of hand in some foreign land and when our minds return we’ve forgotten what we’ve learned...”).

Vague is one of the most exciting artists working in rock today, an uncompromising musician and songwriter following his own muse through a commercial no-man’s land, consequences be damned. As good as his debut disc may have been (and make no mistake, it is quite impressive), S.O.S. The Party’s Over is miles ahead of that effort, showing a remarkable artistic evolution and maturity. That Vague pulls off these recorded hat tricks with just a little help from his friends (MetroLord being his own, self-financed imprint) is even more remarkable yet. But then, the guy’s too damn good for a major label...they wouldn’t know how to handle something this original. (MetroLord Records, released 1993)

Review originally published by R.A.D! Review and Discussion of Rock ‘n’ Roll zine, December 1993