VOID
VISION – SUB ROSA
Mannequin Records
(2014)

Review
by Sam Haine –

            I’ve been
following Void Vision as a fan since 2007/2008. From the days of seeing an
earlier incarnation performing at Digital Ferret when it was a full band and observing
with time the evolution into the stripped down eargasm it is today. Even as I
write this out, hanging on my wall is Void Visions “In 20 Years” 7in single that
I purchased after seeing a performance down in the L.E.S. So, it’s no surprise
that I am excited to finally be able to sit and listen to the new full length album
just released on Mannequin records entitled “Sub Rosa”.

Shari Vari, the one
woman femme fatale of symphony is here at full power with ten tracks worthy of
either the dance floor or the bedroom and both. She is a multi-talented artist
with an exceptional and unique vocal capability. Her music isn’t wishful
thinking to an earlier time; instead it is possessed by it, and pushes it
forward without cliché or pretention. It is synthesized foreplay, both
liberated and consolidated.

The opening song, “One”
with its pulse that will cause you to sway like a virgin on the dance floor just
before Shari’s vocals both seduce and hook you in. “Everything is Fine”
continues the momentum and relishes in the atmosphere and the tension that the
production creates. “The Hidden Hand” is damn near poetry in motion as well is “Sour”
with its imagery of a love affair broken. “To the Sea” is probably my favorite
track, both on record and performed live. The song itself immediately makes me
dream of a couple dressed for a black tie affair dancing in a slow almost tango
like waltz on a moonlit beach. “Slow Down” is an instrumental track that
invokes both the darkness of Depeche Mode and the suspense of early Dario
Argento films. If love were a fist it couldn’t be better defined than it is in
following track “Vulgar Displays”, before all bets are off and burned away with
the liberating “The Source”. Included is an extended version of “In 20 Years”.
And the journey ends with the hypnotic and haunting kiss off, “Queen of Hearts”.

If you ever have the opportunity to see Void
Vision live I recommend it.
Void Vision – https://www.facebook.com/voidvision

Void Vision, I will admit, is somewhat of an enigma. I have
been able to find out very little about the project, except that it is one girl
and some synths. Apparently a few singles have been released, and this effort,
“Sub Rosa,” is the girl’s debut solo album. Floating gently down to us out of
relative quiet and obscurity, the album is not easily classified, but
definitely fits into the broad spectrum of retrowave music.

Void Vision appears to be the solo project of one Shari
Vari, native of Philadelphia. I made efforts to contact her, but Shari has
remained silent. Four years ago, she released a 7” I have been unable to track
down, and a version of “Sour” (on this album) was released as a single last
year on Mannequin Records. According to scattered reports, Vari has been
performing live in the northeastern USA, predominantly in the Big Apple. Based
on this showing, we can only hope to hear more from her in the future.

The sound itself is vaporous, even spectral at times, but
never seems to lack substance throughout. Ghostly, choral tones hold up the low
and mid ranges, while low-bitrate synths tumble forth melody lines rife with
arpeggio and scalar play. Human vocals are prevalent, a female voice, darkly
haunting but still oddly soothing in their softness. Percussion varies from
high, tight electro drums to deeper, throbbing drums on tracks like “Sour.”
Much of the substance is undeniably 80s-inspired, with a gentle twist of
modernity to it. A dark tone, hopeful in some places, solemn in others, sets
the norm for these tracks. The music is faintly romantic, good for brooding,
and could even take its place on a dance floor. Though it lacks the bursting
energy of much of the genre’s albums, the beats are dynamic and full-bodied.

I have held back on detailing individual tracks, as they
tend to flow almost seamlessly together; the album stands firmly as one
continuous work, without seeming tedious or boring.

Using our new grading system, I would grant this album 8 out
of 10 stars solid. It is a refreshing exploration of the mellow side of
darkness, a lovely contrast to the horror-film-inspired synth music with which
I am normally smitten in this genre. Lying somewhere between chill and gloomy,
it is excellent kick-back or afterparty listening material.

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