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"AVECduet" (CD)
Summer 2006
"If
I Breathe I Fall Asleep" (CD)
Winter 2004
"Self-titled"
(CD EP)
2004
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BIOGRAPHY
The combined efforts of two extinct
touring bands (Fair Verona, Sand Which Is) make AVEC. Now based
in Baltimore, these Texas natives bring the rock, and then some.
Intelligent time signatures and chord structures combine with
energetic, emotional vocals and perfectly placed electronic samples
to create the ultimate self-dubbed "Science Rock" sound.
The male and female lead vocals intertwine, and occasionally fight.
They are unlike anything else.
More info to come.
THEY'RE
SAYING WHAT?
Someone should clone the voice of Avec's Shawna
Potter-her dangerously sexy vocals are the highlight of an intriguing
and genre challenging record from this Baltimore four piece. Beginning
with her breathy intro on the opening "While You're Down
There", Potter clearly establishes herself as a star waiting
to explode, while Brooks Harlan offers a suitable counter to Potter's
ethereal singing...the two of them make for an impressive tag-team
on "Imprinting".
Musically, the band will entice fans of pop and
rock...channel[ing] Parallel Lines-era Blondie at times, before
shifting gears to more darkly textured tracks such as "Deceptive
Cadence" and "Mandragora".
Most impressive here is the constant, but not unnecessary,
shifting of tempo and styles. The band did not attempt to force
itself into defying its own sound, they simply moved effortlessly
from atmospheric beauty to raunchier, guitar-bitten angst. Give
this multiple spins, for this band is the musical equivalent of
a brilliant author; there are subtleties to notice each time you
listen.
– Rich
Quinlan, Jersey Beat
8/10 — There must be a resurgence I didn't
know about, what with a greater lot of bands doing the crunchy
girl rock thing, reminding me of the days of Sarge and P.E.E.
- Del Cielo, Scout, Bagheera - and now Avec. I'm sort of surprised
they didn't call me, as I could probably at least squeeze out
a backing vocal of "Oohs" or "Aahs," or "He
ain't no good," but oh well. There's some potential lost
there.
Of these existing, non-pipe dream girlie bands,
however, Avec's time signatures are a bit more interesting than
most, and their vibe tends to jibe more with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
or Denali - so they've got some grit under their fingernails.
This is feminine post-emo for kids who still unabashedly love
emo… for the guys who haven't entirely given up on the Emo
Diaries comps, if even for that one standout single, and the girls
who know more about Saves the Day than Bikini Kill.
Luckily for Avec, though, they're far better than
all that. There's a whole other audience out there that may not
even know they exist. It's a pity, really, and hopefully their
relative obscurity won't last long.
They know how to tap into a more dynamic, rich sound,
and they bask in their own complexity. On "While You're Down
There," the depth comes from the vocals, where breathlessness
turns into a roar, with frequent, pouty change-ups and melodrama.
"16 Minus 71" adds smartness of guitars, beginning as
a torch song and ending as a massacre, with sweetly stinging post-rock
aesthetics keeping you on your toes. "Beat of Pulse"
may even remind you of those glorious early days of Q and Not
U, but with a brazen, yowling female filling in over the schisms.
"Deceptive Cadence" and "Momenta"
continue the trend of bright, challenging rock, with rippling
harmonies, empowered energy and bubbling discomfort. It is as
though Engine Down and Rainer Maria got together to ponder their
own philosophies and find their common ground. Emotions and volume
begin to rise, but there is a heartening intersection of those
two distinct sounds that make Avec's amalgamation that much more
worthwhile.
They've got something good here, in the wiles of
femininity and the strains of guitar… even if they didn't
ask me.
– Sarah
Peters, Lost At Sea.com
OTHER
ARTICLES ON AVEC:
Baltimore
City Paper
Johns
Hopkins News-letter
GET IN TOUCH
Web Site: www.avecmusic.net
Email: contactAVEC@aol.com
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