Volcano Choir is a collaboration between Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and members of Collections of Colonies of Bees, a fellow Wisconsin outfit. When the collaboration began in 2009, it existed indirectly. What would become Volcano Choir started trading sounds and built on the trades. These sounds and loops eventually became Unmap which gave it a very distinct personality. Four years later and some personal interaction, Volcano Choir has released its sophomore album, Repave in a much more traditional fashion.
Unlike Unmap, the group created Repave in person and recorded in an isolated studio in rural Wisconsin (sound familiar?). The disjointed experimentation of Unmap (qualities that set it apart from Bon Iver’s and Collection’s bleak folk) has vanished Repave sounds pretty much what you’d expect a collaboration between these artist to sound like. Now, Volcano Choir is basically Bon Iver. This is not a bad thing. Repave is calm an listenable – an album suited to ease us into the winter.
This album also represents a big step forward for Vernon’s songwriting. He wrote an anthem. “Byegone,” strategically placed in the middle of the album, shocks us out of the comfort we might have fallen into. It opens slowly with a sparse and repetitive guitar, followed by melodic vocals. With the same anthemic guitar playing in the background, Vernon vocally breaks the monotony with a cry of “set sail.” The build to this point is expertly crafted and what the group does afterwards is just as well executed. The song maintains this level of energy until the end and the song doesn’t overstay its welcome. The song is beautifully followed by “Alaskans,” a return to the subtle “winter folk” characteristic of all of the collaborators.
If the album had just ended there it could have walked away as a pretty big success – a bit too akin to Bon Iver, but innovative and enjoyable enough to distinguish it. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t end after “Alaskans.” The last three tracks – “Dancepack,” “Keel” and “Almanac” disintegrate a bit and might leave the listener in a state of confusion. “Dancepack” has backed by a repetitive guitar riff that initially serves to hook the song, but the vocals lack the melodic interest or sparse intrigue that Vernon usually leads with. On the other hand, album closer “Almanac” is so disjointed it’s a bit hard to listen to.
Despite these final few tracks, however, Repave redefined Volcano Choir as a more accessible group. The final in-person collaboration has done the group well.
