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The Volta Sound-Everything’s Alright
The Volta Sound go a long way in proving
my ideas about what is happening in rock right now, particularly the
underground. Going along with the laws
of physics, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Likewise, the reaction against the
major-label threshold on every music outlet is a group of pissed off,
psychedelic, ass-kicking groups who want to make things right.
The Volta Sound are a band that could
only be possible after about 1995.
Before then, the notion of “alternative purity” kept some people from
enjoying the finest sounds possible.
The underground is finally opening its ears to the wonderful sound of
the Sixties: The Stones, The Who, the
Kinks and millions of other groups who had one or two great things to
play. Combining the usual indie
influences (the Velvets, Stooges, etc.) while embracing the glorious pop past, Everything’s
Alright is a document that justifies my excitement in the current
scene.
Yes,
here you can revel in the sound of what reminds me of Sterling Morrison and
Keith Richards battling on guitars, guiding the band in search of gritty
bliss. The title track sets the pace
that drives the whole album, kicking up a stew of Brian Jonestown Massacre and
Spiritualized grooves. The vocals start
with the wistful Ian Brown template and mix in bits of Syd Barrett and Gram
Parsons for good measure. Drums,
acoustic guitars, and tambourines pound and jangle in that lazy behind the beat
style that all great post-Stones rock shares.
It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to get up and shake your ass,
if you’re not too stoned to get off the couch.
But don’t think
of this album as nothing more than reefer madness. There’s
great pop hooks and smiles all over the place in such gems as the
distorto-pop “We Have Voices” with its clever horn
parts and organ pulses, and the lovely mid-section in “Going
Home.” Unlike some of their peers who get complacent
with just getting the sound right, these boys take the time to
write a decent batch of tunes to go along with things. It
makes me wonder how I’ve never heard of them before (duh, I
live in Kentucky). I just hope there’s a whole wave of
this stuff on the horizon, or a least a couple more releases from
the Volta Sound.
(to find
out more about the Volta Sound, check out www.thevoltasound.com/)
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