Volcano Suns

Finally on CD and remastered by Bob Weston, All-Night Lotus Party is a remarkable document of Volcano Suns, a short-lived post-hardcore Boston band. Following Mission of Burma's demise, drummer Peter Prescott formed Volcano Suns, capturing the dark tension of the punk underground. Yet, like Sonic Youth, Prescott's songs reveal varied rock influences before spitting up an all-encompassing sound. Merge has reissued this and Volcano Suns' landmark 1985 debut, The Bright Orange Years, updated them sonically and included a boat load of obscure songs. Released in 1986, All-Night Lotus Party is harsher and more eclectic than its predecessor, possessing a gritty beauty that borrows from Big Black ("White Elephant") and informs the witty nihilism of NoMeansNo ("I Walk Around"). More intriguingly, it anticipates Fugazi and even college rockers like R.E.M. and Wolf Parade. Few bands could be measured by such diverse comparisons but that's the glory of Volcano Suns, an unheralded but terribly significant band.