Vokee is a relatively new band and features Andy Khachaturian (aka: Ontronik, a play on his Armenian birth name of Andranik), he was the original drummer in System Of A Down and played on all three of their early demos from 1994 to 1997, when he left the band due to an injury to his left hand. In 1999 he resurfaced as a vocalist in The Apex Theory, another extremely talented and original band who, like System Of A Down, mixed myriad styles to create a highly infectious musical experience. He eventually moved on from The Apex Theory, wanting the freedom to create music in his own unique way. He came out with a solo offering called Ontronik shortly thereafter and posted a few demos online, four songs, two of which were collaborative tracks with Dryden Mitchel from Alien Ant Farm and Gavin Hayes from Dredg. These songs showed a more electronic side to the melodies and voice first heard with The Apex Theory and though he put that project on hold and formed Vokee that style has carried over, but with a bigger, more organic full band sound.

After Khachaturian left The Apex Theory, the band carried on with Art (guitars) on vocals, and though vocally they were similar and musically they sounded the same as before, the melodies changed and the lyrical content was decidedly different, virtually sounding like a different band on their inthatskyissomethingwatching EP. Not surprisingly, Vokee sounds much like The Apex Theory did prior to Andy’s departure, proof of how powerful the creative collective can be and how quickly it can change when the dynamic structure of a band changes. Vokee released a six-track EP in 2005 called Pre-Motional Songs and most recently a DVD entitled timelines‘n’virtual and this, its companion demo EP, timelines‘n’parallel.

Vokee, though a full band, rely on a subtle to a more pronounced electronic backdrop of samples and electro-rhythmic soundscapes. This EP features three demos, one of which is a re-recording of an Ontronik track. The EP begins with “Angels,” a spastic electro-rocker with Andy’s poetic lyrics and rhythm carrying the chorus of “here come all the angels / haunting with their riddles / here come all the angels / heading to forgive us” and embedding its infectious hook into your cerebral hemisphere. “Hands Of Time” is a track similar to “Angels” in that it has an electronic foundation, though less obtrusive, and built upon it are mellow, introspective verses and a faster, hook-laden chorus. The final track—originally an Ontronik song that featured Gavin Hayes from Dredg—is a re-recording of “Ocean” with slightly altered lyrics—those that Gavin Hayes had sung on the original have been changed. The song is a mellifluous and captivating loop-based track with a rhythmic ebb and flow that almost mimics the rising and falling, coming and going of that which the song is named.

Occasionally bands or musicians come along and present the world with something unique, it doesn’t happen often, but when it does it is wise to take note. When music seems to be drowning in the mire of corporate force-fed feastings of the latest cash cow flooding the market, bands like Vokee are a beacon of hope. Even if you don’t like what they’re doing musically, what they’re presenting artistically cannot be denied. It is that confirmation of hope that the art in which we love can still break new ground as the art in which you see all around is wallowing in mediocrity and predictability. This EP, though a collection of three unrefined demos, makes that beacon of hope shine a little brighter.

AUDIO: Angels, Hands Of Time, Ocean and Signs (a new song, not on this EP)

VIDEO: Spaces (from the DVD timelines‘n’virtual)

Note: In time these links will likely becoming outdated. Also, the EP comes without artwork, the artwork shown here was created by me strictly for this review.