Dublin, its Guinness, its writers and... its (garage) rock!
After the crowning of the Urges last year, the Emerald Isle discloses its hottest gem with The Revellions, a quintet of partners in crime who are fond of the sixties and whose self-titled debut album is a statement in style and a tribute to old-school psychedelic garage : a flood of fuzz guitars and devilish atmospheres.
Despite glaring influences, especially The Chocolate Watchband and the Nuggets, these Dubliners display an assertive character and a personal touch. Welcome to the Revellions home, the land of cheeky humor, chaos and psychotropia!
The Irish gang seems to live permanent confrontations and other epic chases (the surf effect, blatant on "Groundswell"), thirty minutes of wild adventures for a short but incredibly intense record.
Besides James Lister's sharp guitar sounds, outrageous Ali Moore, a sweet-looking singer whose howl is staggering, makes you thrill straightaway and keeps knocking you out through vocals.
Their pace is quite furious but the tunes are polished and brilliantly produced, "Ain't No Fool" gets you hooked instantly, then the odd ghost-trainlike "Not The Attraction" and radical "Walking Away" give you goosebumps.
The royal organ of Thomas D'Arcy, a vivacious Brian Jones lookalike, perfects the Revellions sound and endows it with a more subtle and elegant dimension, particularly on the striking "Have It All" , the end of which is amazingly orchestrated and steals the show.
Beyond the vintage sixties sound, the rowdy quintet also pays pays tribute to the Cramps in its music and audacity. By the way, Ali Moore reminds of a gentler and less exhibitionist Lux Interior.
You will easily get trapped by this enthralling world that is as visual as musical, a kind of sixties style pulp-fiction (not the movie, the comics) with merciless gimmicks, hoodlums, endearing bad boys and pin ups, a story in which heroes have kidnapped you but you do no want to be set free. Stockholm syndrome?
Yes, the Revellions are mischievous, daring and bad-ass...you've got to have more of their verve, they are "one of a kind"!