The Veils
Nux Vomica
Release Date: Apr 4, 2007
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Rough Trade
Music Critic Score
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Album Review: Nux Vomica by The Veils
Excellent, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
In 2004, the Veils released their folk-tinged rock debut, Runaway Found, and shortly after all but founder Finn Andrews remained, so it was with a completely new group that Andrews set about recording the band's second album, Nux Vomica. Perhaps it was the new musicians, perhaps it was just Andrews' inevitable maturation, but Nux Vomica represents a huge progression for the Veils. Andrews has certainly grown as a songwriter; his lyrics, while still as affected as before, have gained a certain poeticism that reflects a growing understanding of the world around him, one that looks beyond the personal and into the greater human experience.
Based on rating 4/5
Shortly after the Veils' acclaimed 2004 debut The Runaway Found, their leader, Finn Andrews, broke up the band and decamped to Los Angeles to start over. Nux Vomica suggests his radical gesture wasn't wasted. This is a refreshingly passionate record: Andrews rages with a Herculean intensity. Much of Nux Vomica sounds like Waterboy Mike Scott backed by the Bad Seeds, with rapidly changing musical moods.
Opinion: Very Good
The Veils’ Finn Andrews is the kind of guy who sings the word “forget” like he’s saying “fuck it.” He's also got enough audacity to sing, “Now here I am, I’m pushin’ 24” without a hint of irony. Me, I’m pushin’ 30 and can't help but roll my eyes and shake my head at that sort of statement, with all its gilded finality, like how on Earth did we ever get this far. You might be pushin’ 35, or 47, or 62, and at that point, for all I know, you opt for “fuck it,” too.