VAST
Music for People
Elektra

Jon Crosby's first foray into pop music was learning the Beatles' "Michelle" to impress a girl by the same name. It was similar enough to classical music to interest him, and suddenly the floodgates opened. By 13 he was profiled in Guitar Player magazine, and at 16 he had formed a recording project called VAST. VAST's first album was released when he was barely in his 20s.

For a first album it was stunning, combining the industrial-crossover-rock of Nine Inch Nails with samples from crusty blues musicians (a year before Moby, though 2 years after Primitive Radio Gods and 4 years after Little Axe, for those keeping score), Benedictine monks and Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares. Crosby himself sounded like a more depressed and angry Bono. As fine as his debut was, it received very little airplay, though "Touched" has appeared in promos for the WB's Angel and (ick) trailers for Leo DiCaprio's latest film "The Beach."

Undaunted, Crosby pressed on and held auditions for a live band, the bassist and drummer of which appear on his new album simply titled Music for People. In a bold move, he augmented the new full-band VAST sound by traveling to Mumbai, India and recorded backing tracks with the New Bombay Recording Orchestra.

Anyone who has had the misfortune of hearing tracks from Metallica's S&M might wince at the notion of a hard rocker going symphonic, but Crosby actually manages to pull it off. Instead of sounding overblown and pretentious, the orchestra complements each song, much in the way George Martin's arrangements kept the Beatles from sounding silly on Sgt. Pepper. Crosby's vocals are also a strong point, recalling U2 even more than his previous album. The lyrics are more introspective this time, and less overtly bitter.

Critics might accuse him of trying to sound more polished and accessible to appeal more to mainstream audiences. The guitars are toned down, the electronic elements are much less prominent and the samples are buried in the mix. But in so doing the real focus of "Music for People" is the songs themselves.

"The Last One Alive" and "Free" are anthems worthy of U2 in its heyday, or Bends-era Radiohead. "I Don't Have Anything" and "We Will Meet Again" are sentimental, but sincere, ballads. But the real prize is the much-too-short "My TV and You", the only stab at social commentary on the album, with a pulsing electronic rhythm and delicious baroque sounding harmonies.

Jon Crosby could do even better. As strong as the songs are none of them are as powerful as the best tracks from his debut. One also gets the feeling that Crosby and his new bandmates are still feeling each other out. Though it more accesible than the first album, it still takes a few listens to get into. Still, it might just be accessible enough to bring VAST the wider audience weirder art bands like the Flaming Lips haven't been able (or perhaps willing) to reach.

— Nicholas Coleman (ncoleman@wesleyan.edu)