Oakes' "One I Love" is a classic big-reverb country shuffle: His twangy tenor subtly harmonizes with guest Erika Hoffmann and the guitar twangs with that huge Angelo Badalamenti sound. The Volebeats have three well-developed songwriters (Matthew Smith, Jeff Oakes and Bob McCreedy)- each of whom has a very distinct style- which always bodes well for their original material. It's a radical reinterpretation of the raw source material and a mournful, irony-free outpouring that serves as the emotional crux of the disc. It's difficult to imagine anyone approaching the sheer cathartic power of the original's blistering Eddie Hazel guitar solo, but The Volebeats' woven pedal steel and big, ringing electrics manage to pay surprising respect. Serge Gainsbourg's "Manon" doesn't fare quite as well in its C&W surroundings as most of the other covers- French with a twang just doesn't really sound right- but The Volebeats hold their own on a heavily condensed version of Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain". They also make what could have been a ridiculous cover of Slayer's "Die by the Sword" somewhat credible, slowing it way down and turning it into a sort of Camper Van Beethoven tribute.
VOLEBEATS GREATEST HITS FULL
On their other covers, The Volebeats reach outside their core sound, taking a lovely stroll through Abba's "Knowing Me, Knowing You", which is full of heavily reverberating and lower register guitar lines straight out of an old trucker ballad. For a country band with well-known indie rock sensibilities, this isn't really a surprising choice, and their interpretation of the York Brothers' "Hamtramck Mama" (named for the Michigan town in which the band formed) is also a natural. The record opens with a take on the 13th Floor Elevators' "I Had to Tell You", tastefully arranged with steel guitar and Jeff Oakes' natural twang. The old-time specification is important for The Volebeats- their brand of country harks back to the genre's golden age in the 1950s and 60s, with none of the nauseating sheen or gimmicky lyrics of contemporary countrypolitan material. Still, the originals are mostly strong, and a few of the covers work surprisingly well when recast as old-time country pop tunes. Comprised of a few rarities, some new studio tracks and six broadly ranging covers, Country Favorites really only lives up to the first half of its title. Those bands just aren't trying hard enough: Michigan's Volebeats have just released a new full-length to make the wait for their official follow-up to 2000's Mosquito Spiral a little more bearable for fans. It’s pleasant.Some bands release EPs as stop-gaps between albums. If you like melodic pop/rock with modern tinges of recent Teenage Fanclub and retro hints of Neil Young, with a bit of the in-between, like the Rain Parade, stuck in, this is for you. Highlighting particular songs, some bad, some downright amazing, is just irrelevant. As they’re capable of exceptional melodies and terrific vocal harmonies, I can’t fault them much - those are two of the most important things in conventional songwriting. If the Volebeats were willing to take more chances, to branch out and expand their sound, I am confident they could produce something fabulous. While taking my notes, I found myself using the words “nice” and “pleasant” on a frequent basis. They write “small” songs, for lack of a better term, straight out of 1969, with seemingly no intention of producing anything revelatory. But they can basically be summed up with three genres: psych-pop, country-rock, and paisley underground. It would be nice at a bar while having a few beers. So it may be the same song 19 times, but it’s a pretty damn good song, and the Volebeats, who were called something like “the best band in America” by Ryan Adams, know what they’re doing - they just do it over and over again.
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