Alternative retro rock reaches the next level
The follow up to minor hit 'Underground', The Volitains' double A-side 'Lovely Bones/ Joy' is an attempt to vault them into the major leagues alongside the much-compared The Dead Weather and other revivalist psych-blues-rock bands.
Equal parts modern grunge rock and sixties psych-blues, it's easy to draw comparisons for 'Lovely Bones' in Jefferson Airplane or even Patti Smith's poetic slurrings. The vocals don't quite stand up to Grace Slick's power or Ms Smith's originality, perhaps because the production isn't as raw as you'd expect (not necessarily a bad thing, it gives it a more modern feel.) It also goes on for at least one verse longer than it needs to.
'Joy' sounds like someone playing a stretched tape of 'House of the Rising Sun', which is highly disappointing. Mixing more punk attitude into their echoey retro vibe it compliments 'Lovely Bones' well, and should create real interest in what these guys sound like live. Fantastically explosive guitars and hammering drums lift both of these tracks well above average.