Much has happened to Vaux since "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them" hit stores last year. The group have toured consistently, relocated from their native Denver, CO to Washington state and oh yeah, they signed with Atlantic Records. Before taking the fully graduated step up to the big leagues however, the group have graced the public with this, a new 5 song EP through Equal Vision (courtesy of Atlantic) that should silence any alarms of the band tailoring their sound to the corporate music machine.

When listening to this effort, the maturity and evolution the band have underwent since their last release quickly begins to surface. While their previous output had a sort of sneering spit-in-your-face energy to it, this release instead finds the band embracing a more creative and artsy path ala The Blood Brothers or At The Drive-In. Not surprisingly then aggressive vocals clash against melodic moanings in the vein of a less shrieky The Blood Brothers, while crunchy guitars scrape against rich waves of pensive noise. The resulting dynamic contrast that emerges from this combustible formula makes for some enjoyable music that actually has the balls to still tear it up when necessary.

Of course there are experiments on hand. "Sex Will Happen Tonight" is a sparsely programmed ethnic romp that sounds eerily soothing in its detached moodiness. Overall though the release displays what one has come to expect from a band like Vaux - the maniacal musings of a bunch of art-punks who grew up rocking out to their older brothers metal records. Sure this offering sees them almost jumping into borderline 'prog' territory at times, but it's a shoe they have no problem filling and "Plague Music" should have no trouble spreading amongst a widely varied audience as a result. It's just a shame such a malady didn't last a bit longer.