Onelinedrawing - 'The Volunteers' (Jade Tree)
3/5
By: Tim Dellow
Lo-fi Emo. You guys know Bright Eyes, right? F**king top, isn't he? Go out and buy one of his records; it doesn't matter which, but I'd veer towards 'Fevers and Mirrors' or 'Lifted...'.
Now. Lo-fi Emo. History lesson. Jonah Matranga. He used to sing in Far. Yep, they're legends of the genre. And to be an emo-legend, you have to sing about losing your girlfriend (or wife, if you're making a solo record a few years later), sell no records in the shops, so no one knows you exist (this should be expanded on [by myself, naturally] in a later essay entitled 'How To Never Sell Out'), but through excessive touring with other bands that no-one's ever heard of, convert millions selling similar experiences as those religious nuts that preach so hard they make you think you're a goat (it happens, trust me), and then palm off a couple of hundred tapes to your fanbase.
Christ! What's wrong with me? I'm sounding so cynical! This is clearly the best way to do things.
This record is a collection of home-recordings, polished up in a studio, which at its worst (the sickly 'Ghost') is a cross between spiritual U2 playing a benefit concert with Pearl Jam while frat boys the Counting Crows fondle Joni Mitchell out back. At its best, or less sickly (there is a song called 'Superhero' with a chorus that goes 'Love will find a way'), it's a man struggling with his identity, the evolution that occurs when he realises he can no longer play at being a young punk (take note Offspring-182), and feels the need to make a mature record without alienating a fanbase reared on his back-catalogue lovingly taped by the older brother brigade.
Our principal issue is with his generic, emphatic American voice, protool-sed to the max; we prefer our confessional records to be a little rawer.
But if you like your wallpaper with a personal touch, this is for you, as it includes stunning artwork with an essay on how he wrote and recorded each song, mp3 demos (each with extensive notes), and his home-address if you fancy yourself as a bit of a stalker.
Artists in this article: Onelinedrawing
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