Volcano!
Beautiful Seizure

What is noise? Very interesting question. Noise is that sound which is very, very annoying. But then again, maybe not.
What is skill? Another very interesting question. Skill is that quality that, in some records, makes the difference. But then again, maybe not.
What is melody? Uh, heavyweight contender. Melody is the opposite of noise. It's something that makes a song appealing, digestible, danceable. But then again, maybe not.

Aah, I'm venturing into the twisted territories of Bugo's mind. If I keep this up, it won't end well. Better to return to the straight path instead of asking myself all these bugophilosophical questions.

So, what do you get when you mix noise, melody, and skill? What did you say? An expired chocolate pudding? No no folks, that's not it. Before we go reviewing chemistry, I want to ask you a history question. What happened in Pompeii on August 24, 79 AD? Yes, correct! Mount Vesuvius spewed a series of lapilli that buried this poor town of the Roman Empire. But what is Vesuvius? No, that's not a bugophilosophical question. It's simple curiosity. Right, it's a volcano. And what does a volcano do? Noise? Sure. Melody? Well, it depends on your point of view. Skill? Well, it depends. It depends if we're still talking about Vesuvius or if, guided by a common thread, we're talking about indie-noise. In the first case, 'who cares'. In the second case, yes.

In 2005, three guys from Chicago decided to try a new adventure: they joined forces, recorded their first CD under the name volcano! (with a lowercase 'v' and an exclamation mark) and sent it to some record companies. The producers in charge of the matter were immediately baffled. The first company said no, the second one too, the third as well, and so forth, all the labels in the USA refused to accept that material. 'those grandsons of a whore'. Without getting discouraged, volcano! kept sending this CD around the world. Rejections poured in everywhere. Except in one place. The English label Leaf, in fact, decided to give them a chance. And so in 2005, "Beautiful Seizure" came out.

I am attentive to musical novelties, emerging bands, new genres. Therefore, as soon as I saw this CD in a music store in Padua (a cover with the band's name in small, "submerged" by a sea of lava from an explosion) I didn't hesitate to pull out my monthly allowance of 20 € and hand the cash over to the clerk. As soon as I got home, trembling with curiosity, I inserted the CD into the computer compartment. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! A blast of hellish noise hit me, terrible, placated only by rare sparks of melody, and then noise again, the drums prominently being pounded to death. Stop. I need tranquility. Better the Slayer.

The day after. I remember the CD I paid for the day before. I wonder if there are actually problems with the computer or if the CD is broken. It seems impossible to me that three people could make such a mess. Perplexed, I check again, eyes crusty with sleep. Shouldn't have! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Again, 'that damn noise. But I hold on, try to listen to them all the way through. Well, the track is n°1, titled "Kalamazoo". And I immediately notice something that, in the confusion of the previous day, I had missed. Aaron With, the singer and guitarist of the group, has a voice I've heard before. Possible?!? Yes, very strange, extremely improbable, but true. With sings like Thom Yorke, the frontman of Radiohead. But what the hell am I thinking, I tell myself, I must be crazy for thinking of such comparisons. Rewind. Play again. Hmmm, I'm awake now. I shudder when With begins to moan. The voice is very similar to that of Thom Yorke, I wasn't wrong. They are Radiohead in extra noise version.
Let's move on, come on. Song n°2, titled "Easy Does It". Damn, what class. I stay silent while I feel the sound curse of the percussionist-noise handler Sam Scranton rain down upon me. Two drumstick hits are enough to unleash a tornado of noise: drums, synthesizers, thunderous guitars that wonderfully distort under With's fingers. And then? The explosion, the peak of noise. Yes well, we've understood that they make noise (and quite strong), but what's new? What's new? Men of little faith! Does it seem normal to you that after busting a drum and frantically pressing a synthesizer, a parade of tubas starts? Not to me. To volcano!, yes. It's not over, the guitars suddenly explode again, like an epileptic fit, then they fall silent and a saxophone marks the end of this composition. Memorable. There's no time to waste, let's move on to the third, "Fire Fire". The beginning of this song makes me kiss my hands. I'd really like to go back to the music store and buy seven more copies of this record. An epic-sounding guitar loop, one of those that stick in your mind, opens the door to a shocking rap base. Bewilderment doesn't last long, the guitar returns with the volume raised by forty notches, followed by an unprecedented electronic dominance, the keyboard groaning under the pressing squeezing, before the epilogue, a blend of noise, electronics, and distorted guitars.
It's the turn of "$40,000 Plus Interest", a song progressively marked by With's almost painful whisper and a psychedelic rhythm, which follows the entire composition until the end, where With's voice gets lost in a tremor and the guitar reigns supreme.
To unwind a bit, you need some relaxation, a nice drink, and a hobby at hand. But there's the exception that breaks the rule. Almost asking for a truce, volcano! interrupt the excellent mess made up to that point to insert two interludes, "Larchmont's Arrival" and the Spanish "La Lluvia". As you wish, quite relaxing. Up to a point. The 6th track fades out, and volcano! realize something is missing. The guitar? It's there. The drums? In terrible state, but at least it's there. The keyboard? Dangling, but that's there too. But yes! noise is missing! Here we go, with an opening in the name of eardrum abolition from which comes an even more distorted guitar. It's the circus of "Red And White Bells", one of the most beautiful songs on the record, a track strongly impregnated with rock, with With's voice (which increasingly resembles Yorke's) delivering a whining lament. Then melody, then noise again, finally melody, noise again, and the end seems composed by Four Tet, with various bells preceding the final explosion, a chilling jumble of incredibly tangled and strong noises.
Eighth track, the title is "Apple Or A Gun", a song starting with an electronic thunder, fully volcano! style, and which in its advance sees genres such as disco, noise (omnipresent), punk (sporadic yet powerful traces) and electronics merge. A song that, in its originality, still manages not to lose the listener's compass. One thing is certain: the racket. And very loud too.
After two rather colorless compositions ("Frozen In Escape", where the group drags on the intro composed of an arpeggiating guitar, and "Before The Suburbs") here comes something I missed. An instrumental. But who cares about common instrumentals! volcano! take the common instrumental, turn it around, twist it, rip it apart, stuff it, twist it again and smash it to the ground in a collective frenzy, just like in the golden days of Wilma De Angelis handling a chicken. Here comes the theatrical "Hello Explosion", a merry mix of classical guitars, distorted guitars, suspicious thuds, and there's even room for an accordion. Unbelievable. The epilogue of the CD is one of those worthy of great masterpieces: the title is a bit long ("Pulling My Face In And Out Of Distortion, I Blink Too Much") and the complete assimilation as well. The initial melody is bewildering: it would seem that volcano! want to relax watching Moira Orfei, because the opening is circus-like in style. Subsequently, you travel in ancient Cornwall, the homeland of medieval heroes, with the sound of horns. And you can already imagine Aaron With singing sweetly and intermittently playing the horn, squeezed between two green valleys of guitar riffs and racket (increasingly louder).

Without a doubt, volcano! have signed a masterpiece, only blemished by the too much resemblance to Radiohead (as far as the singer is concerned) and inexperience. What should you do after reading my review? Simple: if you are pacemaker carriers, do not buy this record, if you are doubtful, jot it down in your notebook, if you are convinced, rush to buy it. Requiem.