Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! (VISE!!) can probably best be described as a stylistic mixture of Mates of State and Hey Mercedes, both of which have also had releases on Polyvinyl. The Mates of State comparisons are mainly in relation to the band's use of keyboard in place of bass, but also their knack for tightly wound, insanely catchy vocal harmonies. Their resemblance to Hey Mercedes, on the other hand, is mostly due to their abilities in writing thoughtfully emotive rock that's also very fun to listen to. Half of the fun lies in their uncommonly confident (for a debut album) yet happy-go-lucky delivery. You can tell these guys had a really good time recording their first album, but they also knew exactly what they wanted it to sound like.
My only real complaint about the record as a whole (and it's a pretty big one) is that it seems like the talented young men who make up VISE!! could have done a little better than this. I realize it's a debut album and everything, but I think VISE!! will need a few releases under their belt before they can ever record anything truly essential. In the meantime though, giving this album a few listens will definitely be worth the time spent.
2.5/4
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