Volcano! – Paperwork

Back in 1978, music had to take a deep breath and take time to re-evaluate. Was it enough just to make a racket, scream some words - did ability actually play a part at all. Some felt musicality proved too much of a restriction, P-Orridge from clattering industrialists Throbbing Gristle pouring scorn on Sniffin' Glue's three chord tuition, considering that far too much of a link to traditional music. Some though of the post-punk generation decided that it was alright to know how to play what they were holding, whilst still retaining individuality and (most importantly) integrity. Chicago band Volcano would have fitted in wonderfully as a post-punk band, possessing an experimental, slightly bewildering quality that would have sat well with the likes of Wire, with the sonic rushes of Pere Ubu and Swell Maps. In a less generous mood, I might be swayed to call their ponderings indulgent, with rapid changes of time signature, lack of structure and a tendency to flip from quiet to loud at the drop of a hi-hat. But there is something rather liberating about their lack of convention, how little concession is made here to the listener. "Performance Evaluation Shuffle" starts with the pitter-patter of a marching band before grinding to a stuttering halt. Few of the songs start how they finish. Few songs really sound like, well, songs...Still, if its clipped, brittle guitar lines you are after, set against drums going in and out of time like a primary school orchestra, then you've come to the right place. Lyrics seem to merge into the understated melodies (does he really sing "a nation of beige" on "Africa Just Wants To Have Fun"?), words used as extra muscle for the music more than anything else. "Slow Jam" starts as just that, meandering with electronic shots, as does "Sweet Tooth" with its bursts of keyboards and trills. Musically, it is hard to describe, only that this is rough experimentation with a frantic edge that would have gone down a storm with the post-punk generation. And sounds pretty good in 2008 as well. 67%Volcano! on MySpace