When Vessels Traded in Their Guitars for Synthesisers for Their Third Album, Dilate- 365

This week we're talking about the Leeds band Vessels. Or more specifically we're talking about their quite abrupt change from identikit post rock band to something a lot more electronic and a lot more enticing.

By their own admission, Vessels had something of a problem: the band had to evolve or die. They were trapped making the same post rock songs as everyone else, using the same delay pedals, creating the same "emotional" buildups that made grown men in plaid shirts cry. So they did something radical: they put down their guitars and picked up synthesisers.

The result was Dilate, an album that lost them some fans but gained them something more valuable - an actual identity. In this episode, we not only get into the weeds of their discography (as we always do), but we also talk about post rock generally, as well as the band's history, their decision to turn to live electronic, how much of a nightmare that actually can be to pull off live, the influence that Berlin clubs had on their new direction, and so much more.

Episode highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Setup

02:24 Introducing the Band: Vessels

03:57 Exploring Vessels' Evolution

07:26 The Post-Rock Genre and Vessels' Place in It

25:16 Vessels' Early Work and Initial Reception

37:41 Analysing the Last Third of the Album

38:06 Songwriting Evolution and Structural Ambitions

38:48 Drummers and Instrumentation

39:59 Remixes and Bonus Albums

40:29 Glastonbury and the Inflection Point

41:02 Transition to Electronic Music

41:46 Reflecting on the Change of Direction

44:56 The Great Distraction Album

45:19 Challenges of Remote Collaboration

47:39 Vocal Contributions and Collaborations

54:19 Dilate Album Review

01:08:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts