One of the more interesting bands hailing from the Netherlands, El Pino & The Volunteers have released their sophomore album “The Long-Lost Art of Becoming Invisible”. The general sound on the album is completely different from their debut album “Molten City”.
Where the band displayed a more raw and pointy sound on their debut, they have now very much settled in a comfort zone with this indie-pop feel, drawing inspiration from rock & roll, americana and alternative music.
“The Long Lost Art…” is a very professional and mature album that shows not only a lot of talent and potential, but also a certain determination and a lot of sentiment. Had I heard this album before the year’s end, it would have definitely made my ‘top of 2009′ albums.
The first time I saw El Pino was quite a few years back when they opened for Augustana. I then saw them again not much later when they played a full show, and the energy and passion they put in their live shows is very commendable. So I was very curious how that energy and passion would translate to the band’s new sound. And when I saw them again a short while ago, even though it was a small acoustic gig, you could see they still play with that same intensity and just have fun doing what they’re doing.
“The Long Lost Art..” is a varied album with more uptempo songs and some slower paced songs. With catchy radio songs like Wake Up, No Cure For Stupidity, Here’s To The Rescue and powerful songs like Not Jealous (ft. Janne Schra) & the album’s title track, there are different things for different people to enjoy. Key tracks are No Cure For Stupidity, the Voicst-like The Big, The Blind, The Undefinded and White On White.
A lot of the songs on the album lean themselves well for radio airplay and have a good vibe and hold the right amount of energy and sentiment to become outstanding live songs. El Pino & The Volunteers delivers on an excellent album that will no doubt propel them to one of the top acts in the Dutch music scene. And after that, the rest of the world cannot be far behind.
Where the band displayed a more raw and pointy sound on their debut, they have now very much settled in a comfort zone with this indie-pop feel, drawing inspiration from rock & roll, americana and alternative music.
“The Long Lost Art…” is a very professional and mature album that shows not only a lot of talent and potential, but also a certain determination and a lot of sentiment. Had I heard this album before the year’s end, it would have definitely made my ‘top of 2009′ albums.
The first time I saw El Pino was quite a few years back when they opened for Augustana. I then saw them again not much later when they played a full show, and the energy and passion they put in their live shows is very commendable. So I was very curious how that energy and passion would translate to the band’s new sound. And when I saw them again a short while ago, even though it was a small acoustic gig, you could see they still play with that same intensity and just have fun doing what they’re doing.
“The Long Lost Art..” is a varied album with more uptempo songs and some slower paced songs. With catchy radio songs like Wake Up, No Cure For Stupidity, Here’s To The Rescue and powerful songs like Not Jealous (ft. Janne Schra) & the album’s title track, there are different things for different people to enjoy. Key tracks are No Cure For Stupidity, the Voicst-like The Big, The Blind, The Undefinded and White On White.
A lot of the songs on the album lean themselves well for radio airplay and have a good vibe and hold the right amount of energy and sentiment to become outstanding live songs. El Pino & The Volunteers delivers on an excellent album that will no doubt propel them to one of the top acts in the Dutch music scene. And after that, the rest of the world cannot be far behind.
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