The album opens with “Rocket +
Savings,” which begins sweetly with a nice bit of guitar. What I love about it
is that it could lead in almost any direction (to a country song, or bluegrass,
or rock or whatever), and it would work. And after a few seconds you just begin
enjoying it for itself, without thinking about where it’s going. But it also
ends up serving perfectly as an intro for this acoustic-based moody rock tune. This
song has a great sound, but I think it’s its unusual lyrics which I most
appreciate. “When I buy a rocket with my
own savings/Take it to the river the first sign of spring/Shoot it for the
stars and hang out where the space junk flies.” And I really like this line: “Thank our lucky stars until our engines rust.”
There is some gorgeous work during the short instrumental section. John Higney
plays pedal steel and slide guitar on this track.
“Calling All Kids Reunion”
likewise boasts some interesting lyrics. Here are the opening lines: “Keep your antenna up/With any luck, we’ll
kill off this farewell/One ticket for the train/Enduring pain and one room
cheap hotels.” The song then comes back to the first two lines at the end. It’s
a really good song, but it is the following track, “Hunker Down,” that is one
of my absolute favorites. It’s undeniably beautiful, with some loving lines
that are anything but cheesy – lines like “You
looked rather smashing/When you leaned in to kiss my cheek” and “And I ache to have you closer.” The mood
of this one grabs me and holds me. It’s a song I've listened to over and over.
Another track that really stood
out the first time through, and which continues to be a favorite of mine, is “Treatment
Burns.” I love the way it establishes a dark mood with the instrumental opening
before Chris adds his vocals, like an aging yet still ominous pulse. “The city’s claimed our hands/To guide us as
the light dies.” This is a song that gets on top of you and is reluctant to
release you. It’s followed by “My Focal Point,” which provides this album with
its title in the lines, “Lend me power
tubes/And let me work this through/Volume versus voice.” Bandeeto Colin and
Morgan provide backing vocals on this track.
Bandeeto Colin and Morgan also
provide backing vocals on “The Persuasive Injury,” another highlight of this
CD. In some ways this song is really simple, but it’s so effective, and a big
part of that is the backing vocals adding a beautiful power and urgency to the
tone. “Save me from going down to the
water/’Cause I can’t tell if I should stay/On this hill a little longer.”
“Disappointed A Few People” has
my favorite song title of this album, and it features John Higney on pedal
steel and slide guitar. The album then concludes with “Time To Dispel.” Like the album's first track, this one has a nice instrumental introduction.
CD Track List
- Rocket + Savings
- Calling All Kids Reunion
- Hunker Down
- Chaise Lounge
- Treatment Burns
- My Focal Point
- SOS For Sonny Rey
- The Persuasive Injury
- Disappointed A Few People
- Time To Dispel
Volume Vs. Voice was released on CD through Melting Plastic on
April 21, 2015. There are also a limited number of copies available on vinyl.
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