Arriving in 2005 with an exclamatory bang, sporting an electrifying live set and an audacious debut album in Beautiful Seizure, Volcano! cast an eye over the parameters of rock and exponentially expanded them into unknown regions. After a two-year hiatus, the Chicago trio strides onward with a new bounce in their step, and a new cohesive flow to their songs. Paperwork is leaner and more considered than before; nearly everything begins with simple pop structures which are subsequently torn apart. The ragged, feverish dissonance and bright spaciousness of Aaron With's guitar has much in common with Deerhoof or Dirty Projectors, but this time, more attention is focused on the beats and rhythms. Lead-off single "Africa Just Wants To Have Fun" displays much of this febrile energy within a razor-sharp satire of certain rock stars who purport to save the world with dubious, self-serving rhetoric. On the self-deprecating "Slow Jam," With's vocals are more deliberate, more soulful than before, with echoes of classic Stevie Wonder surfacing. "Fairy Tale" describes his disillusionment with his experience of the non-profit sector, while "Sweet Tooth" tackles his conscience on the ambiguous issue of consumerism and promoting social and environmental responsibility.
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