Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
whoever said Jonah can't save you now??, July 19, 2004
Jonah's onelinedrawing is well known for his intense live shows and lo fi yet intense cd recordings. onelinedrawing to me is more of a live "band". You almost instantly forget about the fact that you're only watching one man and not a full band. I always thought that Jonah's songs sound 'held back' on cd, but with the volunteers i think jonah did a very good job capturing his live sound. The songs have more strength then on previous recordings. And there's a great guest appearance by Chad from Hopesfall in a great guitar orientated piece of music called 'Stay'. For all Onelinedrawing fans this should be a great addition to their collection, and i think anyone who can se music is more then a genre would apreciate the good musicianship on this record.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
The Downhill Turn?, August 25, 2008
I'm a long-time Jonah fan, but this album was the first that sort of disappointed me. It departs starkly from his traditional unpolished sound and it just lacks the sort of powerful art that is so typical of Jonah Matranga. There are, however, some good songs on the album, such as "Over It," "A Ghost," "Stay," and "We Had a Deal."
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Effort From Jonah, Barring Some Slight Detractions, January 9, 2006
Did you ever wonder what Onelinedrawing would sound like if Jonah had a bigger production budget? "The Volunteers" is the answer to that question. Jonah has evolved his sound significantly since the last album "Visitor" and this time around is much more ambitious and spacy. This makes some songs knock-outs, while some just get left behind. Whether he's turning out upbeat pop-rock anthems, laying down acoustic ballads or presenting spacious, melodic tunes, Mr. Matranga has put a lot of time and effort into this record, and it shows a great deal. It's going to take a few listens to grow on you though.
The rich, lucius sound is one of the highest points of this record, because this time around it doesn't sound like it was recorded in Jonah's basement (though it didn't hurt any of his earlier work). This makes listening to the record such a pleasure, because even at times when some songs are lacking, the production is just so good you can't help but continue to listen. Now it's no substitute for good song writing (don't go jumping to conclusions) but honestly it makes the record sound ten thousand times better than it would were it recorded cheaply somewhere. Songs like "We Had A Deal" and "Over It" really feed off this to create great enjoyable songs.
Jonah's songwriting has grown amazingly for "The Volunteers". Well I shouldn't say necessarily his songwriting (which has always been great), but his willingness to experiment and take chances and make them work is much better. Ambient, relaxing tracks like "Stay" and "Superhero" are warm and memorable, and perfect for just laying and back indulging in the record. The latter features excellent female backing vocals in certain places which helps to strengthen the overall mood of the song. However the great addition of rich keyboards, ambient guitars and nicely placed electronics are what truly make these songs shine. That's the beauty really, being that Jonah can instantly weave in and out of rockers like "We Had A Deal" and then into the realms of "Stay", both of which hit the highest notes.
And of course the major highlight of the record is Jonah and his song writing. He's always been one of the most talented (and often extremely overlooked) song writers in the music world, and on "The Volunteers" he continues to prove why. "A Ghost" and "Believer" both have excellent lyrics, while Jonah's voice really shines on the aforementioned "Over It" and "We Had A Deal". In some places he has really grown not only a musician, but as a person and songwriter as well. While he still manages to sneek in a couple of love songs and semi ballads ("Superhero", "As Much To Myself As To You"), most of the songs show a definite sign of maturity and a willingness to look outside the "emo" box he is often associated with.
However the album is not all high points and praises. Since Jonah is experimenting much more this time around, it's inevitable that some things just aren't going to work. The techno-dance-electronica flavor of "Oh, Boys" is a total miss (and the lyrics aren't the hottest thing he's ever penned to paper). The additions of the intro "New York" and "Believer" are totally unnecessary as they more or less just seem to take up space on the record so it looks like it is really 11 songs. The latter especially is extremely unnecessary as it's just five minutes of ambient noise and does nothing to further the album or lead into the record's closing track "As Much As Myself As To You". I would have rather had the addition of another real song, and then gotten rid of the interludes. There's also a definite lack of acoustic songs this time around. This is very much a downer to me, as I loved previous memoirs like "Yr Letter." The only true acoustic offering is the finale, "As Much To Myself As To You". Other songs seem to be lacking in places as well. Most of the tracks are sonic and spacious, creating a severe lack of balance. Were the record to be balanced out with more songs like "We Had A Deal" and "As Much To Myself As To You", then this could have easily been one of Jonah's best efforts. Overall this was to be expected though as this is much more of an experimental record, but there's definitely some things that could have been fixed before this hit the shelves.
In the end I still enjoy "The Volunteers", if only for it's excellent song writing, and its extreme effort to take chances. Sometimes it comes off beautiful, and alas sometimes flat. Jonah fans owe it to themselves to at least give this record a listen, because even if it does have some low points, overall the outcome is very nice. While it isn't nearly on the level on Jonah's previous trio of outings (the "Sketchy" 1 and 2 Eps, and the beautiful "Visitor") it's definitely a commendable effort from one of the best and most underappreciated song writers out there. "The Volunteers" is a great release for fans of indie and emo, and I recommend it with the highest regard. And that's "As Much To Myself As To You".
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~ Jonah Sonz Matranga
~ New End Original
~ Onelinedrawing
~ Gratitude
~ Jonah Sonz Matranga
by onelinedrawing 
