Customer Reviews

Reviver [Vinyl]

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I became a big fan of these guys after seeing them live and picking up "Skeleton", which I still think was one of the most underrated albums of '08. I guess a lot has changed for these guys because this EP is a pretty big departure from that record. They've leaned further into the shoegaze element in their sound, whereas "Skeleton" was sharp, jagged and desperate, "Reviver" feels sadder, more distant and like the whole thing was recorded in a haze. The EP also has vocalists properly singing as opposed to belting out the lyrics anyway they could like on their previous records. As such, the EP sounds much more conventionally "indie rock", the songs are still good, great even (the cover of "Wild Heart" kind of drags, though) but the EP doesn't feel as much out of left field as "Skeleton" did. The Tropicalia-esque guitar lines reappear on the last track "Reaper" (and a little on "House), but the vocals make it sound more like Orange Juice than punk rock. Still, for me this EP shows that Abe Vigoda aren't afraid to grow as a band, and I still can't wait for their follow-up to "Skeleton", I'm banking on it being great.

I once heard that Abe Vigoda described their sound as "Tropical Punk". I am not sure what is so tropical about this particular record, unless there is something about a new sub-genre that I haven't received a memo on. I've never been to the Bahamas and know of few punk bands from there. And when I think "tropical", I think about remote paradises, timeshare resorts, or anything far more festive than the sound of Abe Vigoda. Maybe what the band is trying to describe is more of a "sundown and stranded on a deserted island" sound. Maybe they should just call this style "castaway in dusk punk". Reviver is a solid EP if you are willing to accept and appreciate a cleaned up and somber version of their previous records. I don't want to deceive what should be obvious. These five songs come from a band heavily influenced by Jesus & Mary Chain and Echo & The Bunnymen, yet whose sound is painfully American and deceivingly from Brooklyn (as oppose to the band's true hometown Chico, CA). Don't get the wrong message. Reviver is a comfortable and highly recommended piece of work. I am just calling a spade a spade.