Search - Volcano Choir :: Unmap

Lush, Warm & Layered

Christian D. Montone | New Jersey | 09/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A collection of songs that are as lush as they are layered and equal parts haunting and warm. Just when you think that this is going to be a sparse, finger-pickin' folk set, it turns left with a few surprising pop underpinnings and florid choruses. This album feels intimate, yet opens up to a wide expanse of "grand sounds". Trust me, this LP will keep you company (much like the cloak the album cover's subject wears) on a cold winter's day."

Volcano Choir sounds just like the album art

Alex | Somerville, MA | 10/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In a great stroke of fortune, Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon has teamed up with fellow Wisconson band Collections of Colonies of Bees, and as a consequence his music has never sounded better. While his Bon Iver hit For Emma, Forever Ago was a good album, it was a touch ethereal for my taste, and lacked a certain meatiness I require. But now, with a full band backing and a newfound experimentation with vocal effects, Vernon has filled the void in his music, and in the realm of dreamy-soft indie rock, Volcano Choir's music is a top pick of the year so far.



Unmap opens with Husks and Shells, a perfect introduction backboned by a meandering acoustic guitar riff that's like returning to your childhood home after years on the road and watching it poking out of ivory snow, familiarity and feeling memories flooding back, before being greeted at the door with a hot mug of cocoa and hug full of sweater. Like that,or something equally evocative and less gay. Husks and Shells sets the tone for the remaining thirty muted, roaming minutes.



Island, IS is the single and standout track, and exemplifies the gentle playfulness of the album. Lyrics, as in the rest of Unmap, are mostly fun nonsense. Here's the end of Island, IS:

Set your orbit, set your coffin

Said it's often that your "O" fits

On your old tits on your hard drive



The main difference in Volcano Choir from Vernon's other project is his use of studio tools. On Still, Vernon professes "I'm down on my mind" in punctuated serenades, each time using different layering techniques for his voice. His sung cries on the ambient And Gather are run through a similar process, this time meshing with guitar instrumentation that could fit on Bibio's Vignetting the Compost.



Unmap does have its lesser moments. Mbira in the Morass and Youlagy are almost downright unlistenable, the former featuring sparse, jaggedly mismatched instrumentation and a jarringly scratchy Vernon. But notwithstanding the couple misses, Unmap has some great tunes for those who are into the genre. And with Vernon's progress, I can't wait for what he'll put out next.



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