Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!

For Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! front-man Mark Duplass, severe tendonitis has been a blessing in disguise. It forced him to put down the guitar, and pick up a ten-dollar Casio, the only instrument he can bear to play for more than five minutes straight. And it’s these anterior keys that provide the best moments on Volcano’s eponymous debut, particularly on break-up blusters "2nd Gun” and "New Brad.” The latter sees Duplass, apoplectic on an ex’s driveway, avowing "I bet you’re out with some other guy/for cocaine and sushi.” In fact, most of the tracks are directed at ex-girlfriends, for better or worse, but there are moments of tenderness as well. The emollient early-Cure lullaby, "Goodbye, Casio” has equable verses and a deceptively intricate rhythm that, one assumes, was custom-designed for Mondays and repeat buttons. Volcano owes a lot to Spoon, with their quirky instrumentation, nugatory lyrics and clever rhythmic tricks (there’s no bassist in the band). Like Britt Daniels, Duplass manages to turn goofy ear candy into keen, infectious pop with fleshed out three-part harmonies, most salient and immediate on "Trunk of My Car” and "Mostly on an Island.” And for fans of the cognominal, yes, the band manages to work the words "Volcano, I’m Still Excited” into a catchy, albeit long, chorus.