Four Volts: Triple Your Workforce

Four Volts
Triple Your Workforce
Kanine
2005-01-18

New York’s Four Volts, like many other bands, have had a few obstacles thrown in their path to stardom. First, they experienced that most dreaded of setbacks, the loss of their band name. They were originally known as Bunsen Honeydew until a cease and desist order from Jim Henson’s people, who did not want the name of their beloved Muppet attached to some scuzzy rock band. Shortly afer a switch to their current — less impressive – moniker, their original drummer dropped out to pursue a normal life. With a replacement now set, all they have to do to complete the gamut is lose a member or two to drugs and then have a band girlfriend hijack the creative direction of the group and then break them up entirely.

Those tribulations may very well be on the way, but for now, they’re up and running with their debut full-length, Triple Your Workforce. They sound a bit too steeped in indie rock for their own good (the bass player hooked up with the rest of the group at a Blur show), and reviews are sure to be littered with references to all kinds of indie signposts. For my money, it’s hard to tell whether they’re riding the wave of a new trend — getting themselves beneficially lumped in with the Libertines — or if they’re trying to be the new Strokes at a time when we have no need whatsoever for the old Strokes. Taken purely on its own merits, though, Triple Your Workforce is strong enough not to need name-dropping clichés about being the bastard offspring of two seemingly incompatible artists.

Four Volts have themselves set up nicely for a vital presence both on record and on stage. Their sound, characterized by lots of fuzz on the vocals and guitars, and loud, semi-crude drumming, would likely be deafening in concert. On record, though, it’s a different story. Unlike, say, Kick Out the Jams, which sounds loud at any volume, Triple Your Workforce has a certain underlying tranquility. This is perhaps its most appealing element. Their melodies aren’t strikingly original, but any melody at all makes a nice counterpoint to the squall that probably overwhelms everything else when played live. A comparison to My Bloody Valentine — as loathe as I am to employ it — seems appropriate.

Complaints? Nothing too serious. The serenity of “Outpost” makes for an excellent change of pace, but its very presense suggest that Four Volts are capable of more than they pull off here. Triple Your Workforce is barely over a half-hour long, but even with such brevity, sameness creeps in. Winners like “Sunday Night” and the unfortunately parenthesized “Heartworm (Ooh Ooh Song)” get at what makes Four Volts interesting, namely their balance of sweetness and volume. When they get that right, the results are extremely promising and suggest that this fearsome foursome may have the stuff to one day feature on The O.C.. If their affection for their noisier side gets the best of them, as it does on the duller moments here, then some other band will get the privilege of having their song play in the background as Seth gazes off in the distance pining for Summer. And where will Four Volts be? Maybe on some WB show. If they’re lucky.

RATING 7 / 10