By KEOL Staff
Boise’s Revolt Revolt mixes healthy doses of ‘60’s-style garage rock, hard rock, noise, opera and space/psychedelic rock to create a unique experience for the listener. Their latest EP release, Wild Unraveling, is a creative collaboration between group founder, guitarist and vocalist Chris Bock, drummer Ben Wieland, guitarist Mike Muir and bassist Jake Fredrickson.
“Catch the Light” offers sounds like some late ‘60’s or early ‘70’s experimentation by artists such as David Bowie and The Velvet Underground. Subdued lyrics by Bock and spacey guitar riffs from guest musician Doug Martsch of Built to Spill meld beautifully with the rhythm created by Wieland and Fredrickson.
“Wilderness” offers a funky, Red Chili Peppers-like undertone that leads to some guitar work and a sound reminiscent of 1969 Jimi Hendrix.
Guest musician Todd Dunnigan, a bandmate of Martsch, adds background organ work to “Hold on Let’s Go” that teeters on the edge of gospel and something Al Kooper may have played on a Bob Dylan tune in the ‘60’s. The sound will bring older listeners back to a time when rock music wasn’t simply a couple of guitarists and a drummer, but a wall of sound that often included piano or an organ as well. The quiet of the song is interrupted, quite nicely however, by some stellar guitar work by Bock, Muir and Martsch.
Sounding musically more like something from the 1990’s, “Every Day Youth” adds several voice-overs early in the track before any vocals begin. Mid-way through the song, the band switches up the tempo and delivers a heavier sound with pounding percussion and staccato lead guitar. The track doesn’t end so much as it blends into the final song on the EP, “Never Fade.”
The band ends with something that might be a cross between Pink Floyd, The Smashing Pumpkins and Alan Parson Project. The sound is full and loud and constant, yet holds a beauty deep within in the form of guest singer Emma Doupe’s operatic vocals. Think “Great Gig in the Sky” plus “Welcome to the Machine” with a splash of “Tonight, Tonight” and a sprinkling of “I, Robot.” Don’t be confused by the silence mid-song; there is more to come before it’s all over.
The lyrics and vocal work throughout the EP add the perfect counterbalance to the often loud and disjointed guitar solos of Bock and crashing cymbals of Wieland. The sound, even when it includes some of the industrial noise elements, is not overly intrusive to the listener. In fact, much of it has an underlying calming effect.
Revolt Revolt plays Jefferson Street Depot on May 23. Visit them online at www.revoltrevolt.com or find them on Facebook.
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