Even with an irresistible full length in tow, a certain degree of luck is what catapulted Bon Iver and, in turn, Justin Vernon into the spotlight. Along with Bon Iver's sudden lurch into indie fame came both his past projects and current ones. Volcano Choir, Vernon's collaboration with experimental instrumental group Collections of Colonies of Bees (who I'll refer to as "the Bees" from here on), is an experiment in the innate that would have likely flown under many peoples' radars had it not been for Vernon's collaboration.
Throughout their debut album, Unmap, there are few concrete moments. The artists delight in their ability to create tracks that are as unstable as they are good. There are few, if any instances throughout this album that would readily fit in one of Vernon's Bon Iver tracks. These aren't slow, acoustically led mediums for Vernon's soul searching. That's honestly not a bad thing, and experimentation in an artist's catalog can be an endearing quality. Thus, what it really comes down to is finding the perfect backing band for the voice that Vernon quite definitely possesses.
The Bees handle their responsibilities excellently, crafting ambient and interesting instrumentation that perfectly accompanies the timbre of Vernon's voice. In accordance with the often atmospheric backgrounds, Vernon tends to forget his lyrical skill, using his voice as a harmonic device instead of embellishing with words. They perfect this on "Dote" as waves of sounds wash about the track and Vernon hums a tune of mourning.
The instrumentation on this album is easily its most endearing quality. While I'm certainly not one to discredit Vernon, the talent brought forth by The Bees is truly stunning. Whether it's the more atmospheric "Dote," alive with pounding yet slow waves of symphonic noise, or livelier "Island, IS," which relies on a quick and catchy percussion loop, each track is captivating. They manage to blend together as many sounds and instruments as they wish, never really relying on Vernon alone as the track's hook. The closer, "Youlogy," is prime example. Taking minimalist instrumentation, they transform a very simple track into one that's both haunting and hymnal.
While Unmap may not match up to either band's solo work, Volcano Choir is still a marvelous collaboration between a group of extremely talented individuals. While there are a couple of weak tracks, namely the boring "Mibra in the Morass," this album is still brimming with excellent songs. Unmap is another hushed addition to the astute catalog of both Vernon and Collections of Colonies of Bees.
