Volume

Just when you think that the Spidey fever has abated, it bites back at a full pitch with this reverential and nostalgic nine-tracker by the four-member (and eight-legged) Winnipeg band Volume. It's a release full of songs initially from the '60s animated series, revamped for the 21st century, and also Volume's original pieces inspired by the most dramatic, tension-filled, nail-biting encounters with Spidey's nemeses. (Cringe as he grapples with the Sandman. Join in the boiling frustration as he goes head-to-head with Jameson. Feel your spine tingle as Electro comes into play.) Except for the remake of the theme song, which layers the original lyrics on top of a remixed tune, it's all instrumental variations meant to invoke the action of the animated classic. If this sounds incredibly hokey, cheesy and gimmicky, it is. But it's also grounded in respect and reverence for the original - they went to such lengths as to seek out in-depth input from Ray Ellis, the composer of the cartoon's music - and their heart and soul has been poured into it. An interesting listen for novelty purposes and a creative and timely experiment, but nothing to go down in the annals of musical history.