[rating=8.00]
For its follow-up to 2013’s Negativity, Deer Tick has released two full-length albums, each showcasing a distinctly different side of the Rhode Island band. Volume 1 is a soft, mostly acoustic album that emphasizes Deer Tick’s twangier, country and folk-influenced sound. In contrast, Volume 2 is a loud garage rock album that is as aggressive and powerful as anything the band has released.
Though Deer Tick has always shown strong country and folk influences, while rebelling against the alt-country label. With Volume 1, the band seems to have finally embraced the twang. Full of intricate melodies, toe-tapping strummers, and rootsy fingerpicking, Volume 1 shows the softer, down-home style of Deer Tick. John McCauley’s vocals are subdued as he croons with a slight drawl over songs that are introspective with a subtle wit. “Somewhere in a fog of a million pleasantries I kept my secrets safe inside,” McCauley sings on the opening ballad “Sea of Clouds.”
“Cocktail” is both a somber country drinking song and a parody of one. With a pitch-perfect recreation of the melody, tone, and structure expected from a country lament on drinking too much, McCauley shares a down-on-his-luck story that would be funny if it didn’t hit so close to the reality of alcoholism.
Throughout Volume 1, Deer Tick delivers vocal and musical melodies that are infectious as much in their familiarity as in their inventiveness. The songs are original and well-written, but are also reminiscent of traditional country and folk music.
With Volume 2, Deer Tick goes the opposite direction; when it comes to the sonic landscape that Deer Tick has established throughout the last 13 years, Volume 2 covers everything that Volume 1 rejects. Instead of hummable choruses and soft strumming, Volume 2 erupts from its opening notes with the energy of punk and the guitar chops of garage rock.
