Volumen 1
Shane Hickey
As the introverted boy genius of VOLUMEN, it most often falls to Shane to write the songs that make the whole world sing and the young girls cry. When he�s not singing about underwater lovemaking or playing video games for 36 hours straight (passions which, as reliable sources inform, he enjoys more or less equally), Shane can usually be found pressing wildflowers in his lockable Holly Hobby diary (combination: 3-23-16) or walking and reading Popular Mechanics at the same time. He is also a world class mental archivist of nearly-forgotten pop acts of the early 1980s and an unrepentant fan of some of the fruitiest music ever recorded. In fact, the last male bonding I did with Shane was over our shared love of the Art of Noise, and the Magnetic Fields album Holiday.
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Here's some articles and other random press for your viewing pleasure.
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| Neufutur.com 05/03/2006 |
| URL: View Actual Article |
| Title: Science Faction Review |
| Author: Jmcq |
The straight-forward rock of Volumen on their opening track to "Science Faction", "Side of a Box", ties a classic rock type of style to something more current in the band's assumption of a Red Hot Valentines type of synthesizer line. The band are fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, in the fact that "Lush & Co" comes to prominence with a free-wheeling brand of guitar lines that only are morphed into a hipster brand of indie rock when the band moves into the stanzas of the track.
"Descolada" is a dangerous track for Volumen, as the fact is there that the song is instrumental and seated in the third spot of "Science Faction". If the band was not talented, or the track not compelling as hell the results might have been enough to sink the band. However, the number of different movements present in the song, coupled with the compelling nature of the track means that the song is more of a refresher than anything else. While the influences during "Orson Welles Was Right" are probably more MC5 than The Ramones, there is a punk feel to the track that cannot be denied.
"The Church With No Name" is perhaps the pinnacle of Volumen's sound; while the sound is hidden behind the over-reaching guitar lines and the distortion on the track, there is no stopping the irresistible force that is the band's vocalist. Imagine that individuals put together Soul Aslyum with Two Gallants, and one will have an idea of how great the band is during this track. This is a feel-good album, one that individuals can either take an active or passive role in; the talent of the band is something that cannot be denied at any point during "Science Faction". Even when the band is only trying to end a track (as is the case with the last two minutes of "The Church With No Name"), individuals are locked in an forced to stick with the band. The only thing that can be seen or heard as a weakness on this disc is the opening of "The Launch", which uses the voice-creation programs present in a song like "Fitter/Happier" (Radiohead) to create a very stilted and awkward dialogue, something that is not mirrored in the band's output during the track. Still, this is only a minor blip on the radar and Volumen admirably makes up for the beginning of the track with a driving rest of the track.
Top Tracks: Lush & Co, The Church With No Name
Rating: 6.2/10
[JMcQ]
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