Vacationer - Gone Review

The songs on the debut album from Vacationer move like musical Rube Goldberg machines. Slow-rolling percussion topples tiny blips of guitar in "No Rules," gently swiveling guitar trigger Christmas-light synths in "Gone," and a tumbling electro-harp kicks open the door to let in a ghost choir on "Dreamlike." The pleading voice at the center of these million moving parts belongs to Kenny Vasoli, who croons about romantic regrets and his ache for escape as synth lines sparkle and guitars spiderweb. At times, the music recalls the wistful indiepop of The Shins, but Vasoli is more forlorn and his music is crammed with more tiny details. It's the sound of a lonely boy in his bedroom, building elaborate sonic contraptions and watching wide-eyed as they clatter and buzz.
...full text In a perfect world, the new album from Vacationer, entitled “Gone,” would be a smash hit. As an album perfectly suited to the rising temperatures, the new work from Kenny Vasoli (The Starting Line, Person L) possesses that rare combination of both indie charm and mainstream appeal, which most bands aim for, even if they won’t admit to it. Think Vampire Weekend. Think Beach House. With the proper attention, that’s the level of popularity these tracks could garner.

Vacationer has crafted an album that will take you away from all the stresses in life for the duration of its running time. And in the spirit of Vampire Weekend and Beach House, among other indie-pop acts, the band has also created some songs with mainstream appeal. Hopefully, this is the project that finally gets Vasoli where he should be in the music world. Near the top. While the music was excellent, the packaging and sound quality let the project down....full text Gone introduces a new listener to the new style that Vasoli has crafted with the help of some talented musicians and producers to back him up. Self-dubbed “NuHula” by the band, Vacationer takes you on a trip within the confines of your car, room, or shower with sampled noises from South American jungles, grooving bass lines and unbelievably infectious synth tones.

The whole album is modestly dunked in ambience and topped with a dash of that classic indie distortion to spice up Vasoli’s vocals. The percussion reminds me of a trip to the Amazon section of my regional zoo, which compliments the other instrumentation on the record. There is heavy influence from cultures worldwide on this disc, making it truly special....full text Don’t they just give off loads of sun drenched guitar, Beach Boy-esque melodies and just a touch of waking up on an outlying tropical island to a steamy cup of an incredible Kona? Plus they literally seem to make Kenny Vasoli‘s vocals beckon you towards your car, down the driveway, onto the highway and hastily making tracks for the nearest exit straight out of town for destination’s unknown.

Tracks like those and several others on the NYC-based four-piece band’s debut destine Vacationer‘s music to go hand in hand with spontaneous weekend getaways full of good times, good conversations, a few detours off the beaten path and an adult beverage or three thrown in for good measure....full text