Search - Volebeats :: Up North

Kinks Go Country

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 03/08/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Up North" is the second of five CDs released by the Volebeats. Although from Detroit, these guys are a musical universe away from Motown. The songs are consistently strong throughout the CD, although a bit more variety in tempo might have made this blockbuster. The title tune is a midtempo piece, "The songs are 12 years old & the sound so clear." The quirk of the band is that one of its members sounds incredibly like Ray Davies of the Kinks, with a country/folk sound. I think this is Matthew Smith since these vocals are more frequent on the tunes on which he's credited as songwriter. "Miriam" is one of these, a sweet ballad. "When You're There" is a pretty slow tune about missing someone, "Is it warm & do you miss me in the sun while I freeze?" "I'm the One for You" is a slower pretty melody with strong Kinks-soundalike on vocals. "Ten Cars Back" is a train song, a good country hoedown. There is a beautiful blending of voices on the simple but hauntingly pretty melody of "Back in Your Heart." It's the Kinks countrytime again on a the good track "The First Time Next Time," "Purple sky is darkening...This could be the one I'm waiting for." "Rubber Soul" is a great tune, still sounding more Kinks than Beatles with Matthew Smith's song, "Somebody whispered & the wind blew cold; the day slipped away & it made me feel old." The guitar twangs on "Please Come See Me" about a boy in jail feeling blue. Gram Parsons would love the slow sad ballad "Something's Broken," "Something's broken for each time she stepped out of line, but she'll come back & things'll be fine." And from the music, you know the singer knows she's NOT coming back! "More & More" is a slow tune about pain. The CD closes with a somewhat plodding tune "Hope You Know" with a bass line out of a Johnny Cash record. All in all, this is a strong set of songs. My one complaint is how low a level Safe House recorded the CD. But if you're willing to crank up the volume, you'll find some great country/folk tunes. You might have to search for this one now, but it'd be worth it. Enjoy!"

The Parts are Greater than the Whole

James Carragher | New York | 07/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a 'tweener -- could have been three stars, but I opted for four. Mid-tempo alt country on almost all the cuts and therein lies the problem. Listening to the songs individually, one thinks "all-around good stuff," lyrics, music, playing, singing, but after 13 very similar cuts one is also left with the feeling that the Voles could use a bit more variety in approach and arrangements. At the end of the CD, it's very hard to go back and distinguish the parts -- but the highlights, when you do, are "I'm the One for You," the title cut (a sound that is frequently repeated in the other tunes, e.g. Back in Your Heart, Please Come See Me, and Hope You Know), and "Something Broken." There is plenty of talent here, but it is also easy to see why the Volebeats have gotten lost in the tidal wave of alt-country music -- not a whole lot sets them apart from the talented crowd."