The Van Pelt

The Van Pelt were a four-piece indie/emo band from New York City that formed in 1993 and broke up in 1997. They have since reunited a few times in 2009, 2014, and 2017. They were formed by Chris Leo, who was formerly in the seminal band Native Nod (he's also Ted Leo's brother). The Van Pelt took a decidedly less aggressive approach than Leo's previous band, and instead focusing on clean, winding guitar arpeggios, with odd song structures that fall and rise. Vocally, the stream of conscious, sung/spoken vocal he is renowned for are still present, though far more intelligible and a little more opaque. They released two full-lengths during their initial run, and a new album in 2014. If you dig 90's emo with some heavy post-hardcore leanings, you'll dig this. Enjoy.

The Van Pelt/Radio To Saturn (1994)

1. The Van Pelt - His Saxophone Is My Guitar

2. Radio To Saturn - Young Friends

3. Radio To Saturn - (She Likes The Part) About Wolves

4. Radio To Saturn - Somber Town

(Young) Pioneers/The Van Pelt (1995)

1. (Young) Pioneers - April Violence

2. (Young) Pioneers - Great White Hope

3. The Van Pelt - Everything's Alright

Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves (1996)

1. His Steppe Is My Prarie

2. It's A Suffering

3. Shame On You

4. Magic Fantasy (We Are Provincial)

5. You Are The Glue

6. Simone Never Had It This Good

7. His Saxophone Is My Guitar

8. It's New To Me

9. Turning Twenty Into Two

The Speeding Train (1997)

1. The Speeding Train

2. Evil High

3. The Democratic Teachers Union

Sultans Of Sentiment (1997)

1. Nanzen Kills A Cat

2. The Good, The Bad & The Blind

3. Yamato (Where People Really Die)

4. My Bouts With Pouncing

5. Don't Make Me Walk My Own Log

6. The Young Alchemists

7. We Are The Heathens

8. Pockets Of Pricks

9. Let's Make A List

10. Do The Lovers Still Meet At The Chiang Kai - Shek Memorial?

Live! at WMUC FM on Third Rail Radio (1997)

1. The Van Pelt - Yamato (Where People Really Die)

2. Chisel - Towncrusher

Same As Stone (2005)

1. Same As Stone

2. The Swede's Down At The Beach

Imaginary Third (2014)

1. Infinite Me

2. The Threat

3. ABCD's Of Fascism

4. Three People Wide At All Times

5. The Betrayal

6. Democratic Teacher's Union

7. Evil High

8. The Speeding Train

Artisans & Merchants (2023)

1. We Gotta Live

2. Image Of Health

3. Artisans & Merchants

4. Punk House

5. Old Souls From Different Epochs

6. Grid

7. Cold Coconuts

8. Did We Hear The Same Song

9. Love Is Brutal

Bandcamp