Duvall – Volume & Density / 12 Songs / 2003 Asian Man Records / http://www.duvallmusic.com / http://www.asianmanrecords.com/ Reviewed 23 December 2003 / Released 17 November 2003
Consisting of a large chunk of former Smoking Popes members, I must say I was a little worried after reviewing the atrocious The Party’s Over, the Popes’ cover disc which fulfilled some contractual obligations. Still, I put on the Duvall CD on before I went to bed, listened to it for a few days, and decided that Duvall wasn’t actually half bad. First off, anyone related to the Smoking Popes, in any way, should be made to never cover a song again. Before the finale of the disc, the Weezer-styled “Jesus Never Leaves Me”, Duvall covers Spandau Ballet’s major hit, “True”. When I say “covers”, I mean absolutely butchers. What was a hauntingly, introspective dance hit of my childhood is turned into a Nada Surf -delivered set of vocals and a braindead, linear type of guitar that completely shucks any of the positive aspects the song once had. From our past, we are left with another assaulted memory – Duvall has made this track into perfect yuppie fodder.
After getting over my major issues with “True”, I realized that the rest of Volume & Density is actually a pretty strong disc, one that deserves the critical lingering praise given to both Duvall and the Popes before them. Beginning with the anticipatory first lines of “All in Your Hands”, we are thrown into Duvall taking the crown from seminal Christian acts like D.C. Talk and Tree 63 for being the most marketable, yet musically talented Christian band. The silky vocals of Josh as well as the vintage Poison and even earlier Boston-type of guitar solos mix well with the sensibilities of sweater rock visionaries like Jawbreaker and the oft-mentioned Weezer. As it is, any of these twelve tracks could be CMJ hits, but a track like “Way Deep Inside” mixes a bubbling sort of energy with a jangling, faux-country guitar into a song which will get everyone out on the floor rocking.
We don’t notice any pandering to the newer movements that are called “Emo” – those pop-punk darlings of the major labels like the All-American Rejects or Story of the Year by Duvall. This music would be as relevant and applicable back in 1994 as it will be in 2014, and that is a major strength of Duvall. Another strength that Duvall can honestly say they have is their faith – I know I don’t focus on promo kits that much, but a quote from Josh makes this point better than I : “I had to find a new voice. I needed to figure out how to sing about life and faith without being cheesy, to sing about larger things and still be personal.” As a result, we are left with an album which rocks and yet can inspire, each song created with the utmost care that will immediately be recognized by an individual who has only gotten to listen to the disc once.
Rating: 8.3/10
Top Tracks : “Way Deep Inside”, “I’ll Be Around”