| CD REVIEW El Pino & The Volunteers |
 |
|
Band : El Pino & The Volunteers Founded in 2001 by frontman David Pino (also singer of Punk act Wiseguy) as a graduation project (the idea came from the fact that Pino had done studies in the US in a student exchange program, and while there he’d met and hooked up with two Canadian musicians whom got him in contact with the Alt. Country genre, playing bars in exchange for cash or free beer), this Rotterdam (Holland) based act was originally just a fictive band (which produced the 2001 self-released 7-inch single These Are Not the Days), then a hobby band in which several “volunteers” from Rotterdam based acts would perform alongside Pino, and then grew into a more serious act when the band released it’s debut EP Cougar on the independent Stardumb Records label in May 2005. With its mixture of smooth Alternative Country, Americana, Rock and Pop, the material strikes a chord with some people, and the band not only sees itself invited to play at January 2006’s Noorderslag festival, but signed to Excelsior soon after (thanks to the very positive review of the festival appearance in Volkskrant). The Reyn Ouwehand produced full-length debut Molten City follows in August, becoming “Album Of The Week” at 3FM quite instantly, and getss a “New Found Glory” notation at both Kink FM and 3Voor12. During September & October, the band cruises throughout Holland, on a tour in support of Dutch band Johan, and at the end of October the band gets an Essent Award. In March and April 2007 the band tours 5 of the bigger Dutch venues in extra support of the album, and in July the album is nominated for a 3Voor12 Award in the category “Best Dutch Album Of 2006”. That same month multi-instrumentalist Harm Goslink-Kuiper announces his departure from the band in order to concentrate on other of his projects. A replacement for him is eventually found in early 2008 with keyboardist Job Roggeveen. Still in 2007, the band issues a split 7-inch with Mono on the Dutch Indie Singles Club label (actually a collaboration of Excelsior with Livingroom Records, Zabel, and RaRa). After a period which is described as “tumultous”, the band sets about writing the material for the new album, which is recorded during Spring and Summer 2009, again in Ouwehand’s own studio with the latter producing. In September the former drummer is fired and exchanged for Jeroen Klein, whom completes the current line-up comprising also Pino (lead vocals & lead guitar), Tjirk Deurloo (with the band from the beginning, playing guitar and bringing vocal backings, also a member of Against Time), Mark van der Waarde (bass, vocal backings; with the band since 2002, and also playing with Raise Kain), and Roggeveen. Again according to my sources, the music on The Long-Lost Art Of Becoming Invisible shows influences in its music by labelmates Johan, and a gearing away from their initial Roots direction. Whatever! The albbum is overall of a serenely calmer mood (even if you also get some more “energetic” passages and songs). There’s a couple of songs with an additional female singer (check “Not Jealous”, for instance), whose identity I still have to guess about as the actual info with the (download) promo of the album merely included the track-list and release date specifications. To get acquainted/ compare with the previous album, the band has posted 3 songs off each of their albums at myspace.com/elpinoandthevolunteers. For further acquaintance with the band, you might check out the gig calendar on that same page (or theor own website elpinoandthevolunteers.com). Personal appreciation? Nice album, with great smooth music (not without a certain layered structure, which is why I like this) and vocals, but overall not the kind of thing that would ever make my year-lists! Of course, you’re free to have another opinion (both in the negative or positive direction, that is)! 85/100 Tony. |