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[POST-ROCK] When Volcano Choir released Unmap in 2009, few knew what to expect from America's newly minted sad-guy laureate. Upon releasing For Emma, Forever Ago,
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon employed lo-fi "dude with a tape deck"
production and a rustic backstory to craft a cathartic testament to the
power of solitude. He literally wandered out of the woods and into the
hearts of millions. So when Vernon teamed up with Wisconsin-based
experimental post-rock group Collections of Colonies of Bees,
disappointment was the knee-jerk reaction from most. "What the hell is
this?" I asked myself when I heard "Island, IS," one of Volcano Choir's
early songs, for the first time. "This sounds like it was made
by…computers." The lyrics made no sense, and sounded almost happy.
Still-cryptic ramblings aside, Volcano Choir's 2013 follow-up, Repave,
feels much more like a mission statement—not just guys getting baked
and emailing guitar loops back and forth, but a purposeful actualization
of Vernon and some good friends working together as a band. As tempting
as it is to call this "Bon Iver's dalliance with post-rock," it's a
shortsighted label that collapses under the sweep of tracks like
"Alaskans" and "Comrade." The cachet will surely get people in the
door—the show is sold out—but they'll marvel at something greater than
its parts when the lights go down.
WWeek 2015
