Gatsbys American Dream’s new record reads something like an open letter to the music industry. It’s blunt, angry, and to the point. The disc might as well be a picture of a middle finger pointed directly at…well, you can put it together. The band’s 2006 follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed release Volcano finds the band recreating their sound once again. The addition of keyboardist Kyle O’Quinn adds a new dynamic to the band, the production is far more raw, and backing vocals are now done by guitarist Bobby Darling and bass player Kirk Huffman instead of lead singer Nic Newsham. Nic’s vocals are far more aggressive on this record, as it conveys more raw emotion than ever before. Gatsbys seems to have completely strayed away from the slower, methodically technical side that popularized the band on 2003’s Ribbons and Sugar. Instead, this self-titled release offers up songs that are generally faster-paced and contain a groove vibe to them. Many of the songs flow with incredible bass lines and gang vocals that make this the most danceable Gatsbys record yet.

Volcano is epic. Gatsby’s American Dream has matured to an entirely new level. From start to finish Volcano will make you dance, it will make you re-think music, and it will make your jaw drop – not just in places, but for 33 straight minutes. The diversity of this CD is absolutely stunning. Gatsby’s has fully maintained the trademark musicianship that made them so amazing in the first place. Some songs change time signatures and melodies like crazy, others shift directions completely in mid song, while others provide one unifying theme throughout – without choruses. Yet there are other tracks that contain choruses and radio friendly melodies as the band proves to us all that they are more than capable of writing pop music. The lyrics are insightful and deep, as throughout the course of Volcano the concept is revealed. The lyrics refer not only to a physical Volcano but also draw parallels to human emotion, boiling up inside us all, ready to erupt. The music and instrumentation itself is deeper than ever before, as many songs have countless dimensions. Every single time I listen to Volcano, I notice something different, something subtle. All kinds of percussion instruments are used as a supplement to songs, mainly claves as Gatsby’s digs into some Latin influence. The depth to the music is only furthered by the countless references to past Gatsby’s records. If you listen closely, you’ll hear a chord progression from Ribbons and Sugar, or a strumming pattern from Why We Fight. You might even hear a lyric or two from earlier records. Volcano is complete in every way, shape and form.