The Van Pelt

Members of Blonde Redhead (Toko Yasuda), Native Nod (Chris Leo), and Greyhouse (Neil O'Brian) formed The Van Pelt several years ago and spread their gospel to the world. Chris Leo's flurry of spoken word vocals swims in a sea of guitar lines. The myriad of tempos and moods make "My Bouts with Pouncing," from their second full-length, Sultans of Sentiment, are tough to figure out but certainly easy to listen to, over and over and over. "His Saxophone is My Guitar" is a straightforward rocker closer to the emo roots of the band's founders. It was released on the band's debut album, Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves in 1996.

Yeah, they're an emo band, but it comes from those who formed this alleged buzzword genre. This band doesn't come from a blueprint, but was born out of intelligence and emotion. The Van Pelt brokeup in 1997, with two members then forming The Lapse and another joining Jets to Brazil.

Toko Yasuda went on to form The Lapse as well as Enon.


An interview with The Van Pelt (September 1997)

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