Garage Rock Done Wrong

If you like stripped down garage rock that sounds like the band was almost too stoned to record it, then you're going to love "Spectrophilia" by New York garage-rockers The Volunteers. Purposefully bare and yet swaggering, "Spectrophilia" hits more often than it misses.

While often varied in style, The Volunteers border on folk and garage-rock. Call it sleaze-rock if you will. Songs like "Danger Everywhere You Turn" are disdainfully folkish while "Rock and Roll Will Kill You" and "Hoogabooga" cross the border towards popular music.

Lyrically, "Spectrophilia" is trite, boring and yes, lame. Often childish and irrelevant, songs like "FckMyGhst" boast lyrics like "When I die, if you want, you can fuck my ghost, it would be nice to that I could still get laid." Live, the songs come across witty. The studio recording, however, falls flat.

Musically, the album is flawless. It is wonderfully produced by lead singer Dan Goddard and Paul Mahajan (Yeah, Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Raido, The National). Note for note the album shines but it doesn't do the band the justice they deserve.

"Spectrophilia" is grimy and gritty and falls into the dreaded land for all bands - the "Sophomore Slump." Hopefully the band's third release will redeem them.