album of the week: 10.2

Vola & The Oriental Machine

PRINCIPLE

Universal J (2010)

why you'll love it: high energy new wave rock that looks forward and backwards

why you'll hate it: weak second half, Engrish issues, too many studio effects

The machine may have second billing, but it seems to have taken over Vola over the past couple of years. I wish I could complain, but the bottom line is this techno new-wave group is more consistent and innovative recently than they've ever been. Their once gradual roll out of electronics greatly accelerated with last year's SA-KA-NA Electric Device; as frontman, Ahito Inazawa, has turned in his guitar for a rack of sequencers and modulators.

The bells and whistles of PRINCIPLE are distracting at first, but don't cover up the group's fringe punk influences. A little bit of XTC in the intro track, a whole LOT of Killing Joke in "Magic Tantric Dancehall" (they sued Nirvana, Vola better watch their back!), and a surprising taste of The Contortions in "Flag". The first half of this album is stacked with frenetic paced hits. The first three tracks flow so well, they might as well just be one big ten minute song. "MTD" and "Rough Consensus" bulldoze the path for "Flag", the obvious standout track of the album, sounding like if Number Girl had wrote a no-wave song.

Sadly, the rest of the album abandons this pace, and becomes more frothy. "80's Man" lays on the kitsch pretty thick, and "panic in the tokyo" follows the same suit. Fun songs, but being a bit tongue-in-cheek is clearly not Vola's strong suit, especially with Inazawa's Engrish crashing and burning all over the place. Despite their worst efforts here, none of the songs are out and out bad. In fact, they haven't written a single clunker in over three years; which is excellent for a band that was plagued with inconsistency their first couple of releases.

While I feel the pace and mood made last year's effort a more impressive package, PRINCIPLE is still a rockin' good party album if you can put up with a little Engrish here and there. That Gang of Four style janky guitar is one of my favorite sounds in music, and it sucks to hear Vola depart from it. But on the other hand, I think they're the first band ever to perform with an iPhone ap as an instrument; and that is pretty cool.