What Key Is Red Vox In The Garden

Left: Mike; Right: Vinny. Not Pictured: Joe Pecora; Bill Franzetti.

Influences:

Nirvana, Radiohead, Tame Impala, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, David Byrne, St. Vincent, The Buzzcocks, The Pixies, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, MGMT, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, The Cars, Joy Division, New Order, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Gorillaz, Oasis, Blur, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Doors, The Mars Volta, Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White, XTC, Frank Zappa...

Red Vox is an Alternative Rock band hailing from Staten Island, New York City. Formed by Vinny and "Jabroni" Mike of Vinesauce fame, they are joined by producer Joe Pecora and a number of other guest musicians. The band was formed from the vestiges of Davy's Grey, a previous band of Vinny's that had a limited period of activity before splitting up not too long after its formation. By comparison, Red Vox has stuck around for a considerably longer amount of time, and since 2016 have put out four studio albums and a Frank Zappa-esque comedy rock EP, with a fifth studio record due in the next year or two.

While much discussion of the band is heavily overshadowed by Vinny's fame as a Twitch streamer, that's not to say that there's nothing remarkable about the music itself. The band's Signature Style encompasses a mix of different alternative rock styles and influences, from Nirvana-inspired grunge to melancholic electronic rock in the vein of Radiohead and Gorillaz, all glued together by a neo-Psychedelic Rock core based heavily on the styles of Pink Floyd, Tame Impala, XTC, and The Beatles. Additional influences stretch to inspiration from the art rock of David Bowie and Iggy Pop to the Post-Punk of bands like Talking Heads and Devo.

As the band is still relatively "indie" in terms of exposure and exist in an era where rock music itself is no longer the dominant force of popular music, their activity is fairly subdued, with occasional minor live performances at conventions and studio recordings more or less coming out at the band's own volition. The band themselves corroborate this with a desire to avoid becoming too famous, Vinny already being aware of the effects of certain levels of popularity from being a member of Vinesauce; the band's publicity is fueled entirely on their own and maintained at a low presence compared to other independent rock bands, to the point where all their music is self-released (which also allows them greater creative control than if they were signed onto a record label). Overall, they're a band content with staying low-key, emphasizing their own satisfaction towards the quality of their music over anything else.

Their entire discography can be listened to for free on their official YouTube channel. They also have a Twitch channel where they premiere new music and hold live Q&A sessions.

Discography

Studio Albums

What Could Go Wrong (2016)
Another Light (2017)
Kerosene (2019)
Realign (2020)
Visions (upcoming; currently set for 2021)

Other releases

"Trolls and Goblins" (non-album single) (2016)
Blood Bagel (EP) (2016)
Another Light Demos (2018)
"Stranded" (non-album single, later added to the double-LP release of Another Light as a bonus track) (2018)
Lost for a While (EP) (2020)

This band provides examples of:

Album Title Drop:
- "Burn a Picture" ends on the line "There's another light". In "Memories Lie" the outro features the lyrics "Try to see it in another light".
- "Hungry Ghost" has the line "All you are is kerosene".
Atomic F-Bomb: Ostensibly the point of "Fuck"— the protagonist experiences several increasingly ridiculous misfortunes, one after the other, that lead him to shouting out "FUCK!"
Bookends: "Another Light" and "Burn a Picture", the first and last tracks on Another Light, both prominently feature the phrase "there's another light."
Break-Up Song: "In A Dream" is one. It takes a much more somber, confused look at the end of the relationship especially with the line, "I don't know what any of this means to me."
Butt-Monkey: The protagonist of "Fuck".
Celebrity Elegy: "From the Stars" is one for David Bowie, who passed away the year before Another Light's release.
Concept Album: Another Light. The album shows themes of emotional vulnerability, accepting oneself, finding direction when lost and looking at things from a different perspective. Vinny said himself that this was unintentional and all by accident.
Casanova Wannabe: "There She Goes" is a lighthearted account of a man who keeps trying to pick up girls, only for them to walk out on him in the morning. He starts with a prostitute at an old bar, gets catfished by someone he met through a dating/hookup app, and finally ends up settling for some porn he finds in the trash.
A Date with Rosie Palms: It's strongly implied that a porn magazine found in the trash is what the Casanova Wannabe protagonist of "There She Goes" ends up settling for after his multiple failures in dating.
Got a new woman
Found her in a trash can
Think this is the woman, baby, I really do
Better tell my hand
Dating Service Disaster: The protagonist of "There She Goes" gets catfished by someone through a dating app.
Got another woman
Found her on my new phone
Really should see her photos
Too bad they weren't her own
Deadpan Snarker: The whole lot of the band-members.
Despair Event Horizon: Subverted with "Burn A Picture".
First Verse (Reprise):
If you burn a picture
To obtain the ashes
You resign to throw yourself away
Outro:
There's another, another light (x5)
Fading into the Next Song: The outro to "Another Light" can be heard in the first couple of seconds of "Settle for Less".
Fantasy-Forbidding Father: "Job in the City" is a sarcastic account of a parent who is urging their child to get a "real job" in the city. The parent openly mocks how their child's aspirations didn't turn out to be what they expected, how they're going to abandon fun with their friends to slave their days away for pennies, and they even try to guilt their child by bringing up everything they've done for them.
Genre Roulette: Realign alternates between Alternative Dance, ethereal industrial rock, moody acoustic rock, and even Jangle Pop.
Hidden Track: On Realign, "Ozymandias" and "Better on the Outside" both feature a brief instrumental interlude separate from both the main body of each song and the beginning of the next. The interlude is not present on the single version of "Ozymandias" though.
Intercourse with You: "Between the Cheeks" is a ballad... about how much the protagonist is longing for anal sex with the song's subject.
In the Style of...:
- Word of God states that "Job in the City" was written as a pastiche of Talking Heads (primarily the sound of More Songs About Buildings and Food), with the middle portion being based on Pink Floyd.
- Vinny stated that guitar tone for the Title Track of Another Light was inspired by "Airbag" by Radiohead
- Vinny also implied during one of his Vinesauce streams that "Reno" was based on the musical style of Nirvana.
- "Stranded", the bonus track exclusive to the double-LP release of Another Light, combines elements of several Pink Floyd songs, such as "One of These Days" and "Dogs".
Heroic Self-Deprecation: "Hazy" from What Could Go Wrong, with the protagonist saying that they're not good enough. Until near the end, where they realise that what they did was worth it and the voice at the back of his head which doubted him subsequently changes its tune.
Jerkass: The protagonist in "Tired of Love", though Justified since he's tired of having sex with his girlfriend and wants out with the relationship.
Longest Song Goes Last:
- "In a Dream", the finale of What Could Go Wrong, which clocks in at 5:18.
- The LP release of Another Light caps off with the 9:15 bonus track "Stranded", which takes up the entirety of Side D.
Lyrical Cold Open: "From the Stars" on Another Light.
Manipulative Bastard: "The Wrong Side of History" seems to imply this, the protagonist calling out somebody who uses others and is a fake.
You say your mind is never shut
But you've got everything locked up
You've got a sentimental
But you're under someone elses thumb
Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: The softest being most of the tracks on Kerosene with 1-2, while the What Could Go Wrong and Another Light being 3-5, the 5 being "Atom Bomb" and "Reno."
Mythology Gag:
- Played for Drama on "From the Stars", which references a variety of David Bowie songs as part of a eulogy to the deceased artist.
- In a considerably straighter example, the album art for Realign is derived from an AI-generated image previously featured in one of Vinny's Ganbreeder Vinesauce streams, specifically an image that Vinny himself remarked would make a good album cover. Notably, it marks the first time Red Vox's content has overtly harked back to Vinny's streaming content; typically, Vinny tries to keep his music and his livestreams separate from one another.
New Sound Album: The band has a tendency to make each album sound considerably from the last. In order there's the following:
- What Could Go Wrong: mostly pop rock with Progressive Rock and Post-Punk influences.
- Another Light: the tone becomes more melancholy, Progressive Rock influences are ramped up, elements of grunge and late-90's Alternative Rock (i.e. Radiohead) are added into the mix.
- Kerosene: downbeat, mostly acoustic Folk Rock.
- Realign: a Genre Roulette alternating between a variety of styles both old and new, with an electronic core and prominent influences from R.E.M., Radiohead, and especially MGMT.
- According to Vinny, Visions will bear a Hard Rock sound as a deliberate contrast to the predominantly electronic Realign.
Oddball in the Series: Blood Bagel is much more facetious and vulgar compared to the band's usual output.
Pep-Talk Song:
- "Along The Way" involves the protagonist wishing them luck and giving advice.
- "Forgive and Forget" is basically this.
- The Title Track of Another Light also counts.
Rage Breaking Point: The story of "Fuck" chronicles a multitude of increasingly ridiculous misfortunes that befall the protagonist one after the other. The song ends with the band's drummer, Mike, contributing some Cluster F-Bomb-laced Angrish.
Rearrange the Song: Realign alters the mix for "Ozymandias" somewhat to incorporate a closing interlude at the end of the song, allowing it to transition more cleanly into "Far Away".
Run Away Hide Away: "In The Garden" does this or at least a variation with the protagonist running off and not taking responsibility.
I'm not to blame for this
I'll hide away until the day is through
I will run from this
I'll find a way to push the blame on you
School Is for Losers: Defied by the protagonist in "Back to School". The protagonist is very close to finishing school, the senioritis is setting in, and he keeps seeing his friends enjoying themselves, apparently skipping or having dropped out entirely. Even after they snub him for staying in school, he toughs it out, knowing he's come too close to finishing the job.
Sequel Hook: An Easter Egg track after the end of What Could Go Wrong plays a short, soft guitar riff. That same riff would be the basis for the opening Title Track of Another Light.
Shout-Out:
Stopped Caring: The very last chorus of "Settle for Less" from Another Light.
Surprisingly Happy Ending: Realign, a mostly dour album with heavy emphasis on building a dark, brooding atmosphere, closes with the calm and optimistic "Pale Blue Dot".
"Ray of Hope" Ending: "Burn A Picture" from Another Light.
Recognizable by Sound: The Goblin solo from "Trolls and Goblins", if you know Vinny and his noises.
Ruder and Cruder: Compared to What Could Go Wrong, Blood Bagel is more overtly driven by vulgar humor, with songs about vomit and anal sex. The band later shifted back to a Tamer and Chaster direction after the EP, though.
The Perils of Being the Best: "Hungry Ghost", a self-aware look on ego and getting to the top.
Textless Album Cover: Another Light and Kerosene in their original releases; LP reissues add the band name and album title.
Title Track: Another Light, Kerosene, and Realign all have one.
Unexpectedly Dark Episode: While Red Vox's music isn't entirely saccharine to begin with, Kerosene is very dour and personal compared to their usual oeuvre.
Vocal Evolution: Vinny's vocals noticeably improve with each successive album, going from the somewhat forced delivery on What Could Go Wrong to the much more natural-sounding singing on Realign.
What Did I Do Last Night?: "Reno" begins with the speaker waking up in the desert near Reno, Nevada extremely hungover.
Who Writes This Crap?!: At the end of "Fuck", Mike chimes in with "What is this shit?!"
Whole Plot Reference: "Ozymandias" is one to the poem of the same name by famous Romantic writer Percy Bysshe Shelley, better known today as the husband of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.
We All Die Someday: "Memento Mori" strongly implies this, about the inevitability of death.