Voip – “Avoiding Voip” Review

To some extent, boring as it may be, your parents and teachers were right when they told you that everything that you do has to serve a clear purpose and make sense. They were also right with other advice concerning the way you need to remain humble, show up and work hard, and never do too many things that make you stand out. 

All these things, however, are predictable, and rather boring. Sure, following this pattern may lead to results in the real world. But who really cares about that when you have all kinds of imaginary worlds that you can visit? How will logic and simple patterns improve those? 

Voip is a danceable, feel-good-loving psych-rock duo. They’re building a story and creating a myth about their internal universe, about the rules that govern the Voipdom. “Avoiding Voip” isn’t merely an album made to improve the vibes in your room (although it will). It’s a fantasy quest draped in psych-rock sounds. 

You’ll get a chance to get ready; don’t worry! On “Magnet Mirror,” the band takes shimmering electro synths and mist-covered production and pairs it with the confident voice of Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe to get all listeners ready for the mystery. 

Ready now? It’s a strange but generally smooth ride. “Small World…” mixes alert pop percussion with soaring guitar leads and glitchy electronica to paint a picture of planets where, most likely, the laws of physics known to us humans have no reason to apply. 

If most of the songs here sound like they belong to the soundtrack of a retro game updated and enhanced for modern consoles, this is probably by design. Like those sound designs that, very likely, you’ve heard repeatedly as a child, the songs here are built around colourful, foaming patterns that repeat themselves, fall apart, and then come together again. 

However, there’s a wealth of musical ideas worked into this framework. The melodic ideas of “Grid Waves” bring to mind 80s radio pop. “Last Mirage” calls to mind the funky, disco revival sounds of 90s Western Europe. And the album closer, “Just Outside the Frame,” feels like a power ballad transformed into an ethereal psych-pop jam. 

Where does it all leave us? Stranded in Voip’s world and trying to uncover the secrets of this duo’s music. It sure beats keeping up with events in this real world of ours. It sure is more rewarding tuning into these psych-electronica waves.