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Volcano I'm Still Excited

Polyvinyl, 2004

by Tom Donnelly

When Mark Duplass, lead singer for the bizarrely named Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! was a younger man, he played guitar. But alas, he developed severe tendonitis in both arms, forcing him to give up his beloved axe, so he turned to the next logical instrument: a Casio keyboard. No, seriously. That little noise machine, coupled with a guitar and double bass drum, comprise the arsenal of Volcano’s instrumentation. I approached a group that so prominently featured what seems to be the preferred instrument of the middle school music teachers of America with trepidation, to say the least. Upon hearing the album, my opinion has become vastly different. Overall, VISE’s self-titled debut is a quirky, enjoyable record that’s not entirely without its faults.

The album’s first proper song, “2nd Gun,” and its follow up , “Trunk of My Car,” whet the appetite for a great album, one that never fully materializes. From there on, it’s a sporadic affair, mixing the good (“In Green”, “New Brad,” “Byron’s 24th Christmas,”) the boring, (“Joe Jaxon,” “Echo Park”) and the inane (“Mostly on an Island.”) “New Brad” is a disturbingly good song, especially considering it seems to be about stalking; “Your window wasn’t open, I broke it/ I’m standing in your driveway but you’re not home yet/ I’ve been waiting here since last night.” Ah, romance. “In Green” is a great, speedy, silly track that hits all the right notes.

Unfortunately, at sixteen tracks with nearly minimal variation, the album gets a bit bogged down in its sameness. After a while, one may wonder, “didn’t I just hear this?” But it’s ultimately strong enough to hold the listener’s attention, and the good certainly outweighs the bad in the long run. Excited? Maybe not. Pleasantly surprised? Definitely.

2004 1-42 Online

Tom Donnelly is 26 years old and currently resides in Boston. He owns approximately 1,200 records, CDs, and tapes collectively. He drinks Coors Light and Corona beer and Stolichnaya vodka, and uses only Fender pens and Marshall pads. His Wu-Tang name is Respected Samurai. He's hot, cool and vicious, his rhymes are delicious, and he's got mad skills like Nomar, but he isn't superstitious. Tom is currently working on a history of self-written profiles. Write him at tomd@onefortytwo.com