The Vanities live inside a wishing well, breaking from their popular pastime of disassembling dreams just long enough to create catchy, punchy and unpredictable hard rock that crosses genres more often than founder Robert Blake brushes his teeth (an almost obsessive compulsive habit). Sometimes compared to the stylistic synthesis of Mr. Bungle, The Pixies, Jesus Lizard, and Zappa, this band of Asbury Park, NJ maestros reaches further into pop territory than these acts, concocting pretty melodies and taut harmonies to drape over the curiously hard tunes. But make no mistake. This is not another band of pretty boys.

Rather, the Vanities delve into the sort of audio-psychosis that has, historically, fueled the worlds most mad and memorable tunesmiths. The songs themselves, featuring surreal and thought-provoking lyrics, drive even the most rhythmically challenged listeners to bob their heads while attempting to crack the enigmatic code in which Blake designs his visionary poetry. In the words of one unnamed critic Its got a good beat and you can screw to it. That, if memory serves correctly, has traditionally defined true rock and roll, but upon hearing their independent releases, these guys are capable of so much more.