Revival Horses Of War by: Tom Bradbury Mon:13-Aug-07 Label: Gypsey Eyes Year: 2007 WB rating 67 out of 100

Washington DC based Revival exist somewhere in the hazy territory between alt-country, folk rock and early 90s alternative. Their debut album, Horses Of War, is very much centered around frontman Joshua Read, somebody who definitely has an axe to grind. After an unhappy period in LA, Read seems to have more than a few things to get off his chest, and as such, Horses of War teeters between despair and rage. This album is not exactly light listening.

In typical alt-country tradition, production-wise it’s an extremely sparse experience – apart from a healthy dose of reverb on pretty much everything. Read’s voice is central to the sound of the album, and his emotions basically direct the music. He sounds like an older, more world-weary version of Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses, yet
somehow seems to be evoking a British soul. Read’s vocal inflections would seem to reflect a life spent listening to English records.

Revival rely on this voice to carry their quieter numbers, which on the whole fall rather flat. ‘Anniversary’ is the sort of maudlin track typical of this, Read singing: “cause I’ve got nobody/I’m so close to defeat/and there’s a bottle of whiskey/and a pistol to make it complete”.

Revival are a far more exciting band when Read allows himself to become angered by melancholy, or those that may have caused it. ‘King of Kings’ shows an entirely different band. With shades of Crazy Horse muddiness, Revival’s rhythms section comes to life, seemingly rejoicing in being part of a band rather than just acting as accompaniment. There is real power in this song, and Evan Berodt’s guitar abilities become clear, his rolling riff supplying as much energy as Read’s embittered discontent.

Even better is ‘Hollywood’ – you won’t find many diatribes against the City Of Angels more extreme or bitter than this one. “L.A.’s a cesspit complete with dogshit …I’ve got a sharp stick cut from the hard ironwood tree/ I’m gonna jam that stick down the throat of the city so it pukes me”.  ‘Hollywood’ conjures images of a harder edged Grateful Dead, on speed rather than acid, the feeling of infinite possibility and the sense that the track could go anywhere, creating the comparison.

I don’t want to turn Read to the dark side or anything like that, but his anger is a lot more compelling than his sorrow. If he gets dumped by a girlfriend before Revival’s next album, it could be a dreary affair, but if somebody pisses him off – look out. Here’s hoping.