You should know by now that I’m quite fond of local rock quintet Vanaprasta. Not only does their lead vocalist have an amazing range many rockers out in LA are lacking but not many other bands are currently sweeping me up in spiraling guitar riffs as they do.

For the most part, when there are two guitarists in a band, one serves the purpose of rhythmic foundation in addition to the drums and the other serves as the lead where specific melodies stand out on top of the arrangement (shredding, chorus riff, etc.). However, the two guitarists in Vanaprasta go beyond satisfying my approval for dueling guitars. There isn’t one leader in all songs. Instead, your ear is constantly experiencing the cocktail effect – especially during a live set of theirs – as you never know which guitar is going to take on the trademark riff in each song.

They do an exceptional job at maintaining a powerful drive in their songs. While many rock bands are all about the typical, cheesy build up, the rest of the song usually doesn’t justify that build up… which unfortunately yields the result in which I don’t finish listening to it. I can say that Vanaprasta has made a fan out of me merely based on the fact that they’re very smart when it comes to constructing their song arrangements.

Check out their latest song, “Minnesota.” It’s off their upcoming full-length, Healthy Geometry. I had the pleasure of hearing the album ahead of time and it’s incredible.  With my willingness to take this post to the level of fan girl status, I will proudly say that I cannot wait for it to officially be released!

Stream: Vanaprasta – Minnesota

Vanaprasta will be playing Sunset Strip Music Festival this weekend and also have a residency at The Echo with Pacific Hurt in September. I highly recommend checking them out live.