The genius of The Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls, and The Stooges arguably is not their revolutionary sound, but the template they provided for an alternate history of rock n roll, an opportunity to re-imagine the trends and tropes of pop music's past. In the 80's, while English indie cultivated it's complex, yet close relationship with the mainstream, American bands like Mudhoney, The Replacements, and Husker Du spent the decade trying to strip the dumb fun and gloss off Kiss, Black Sabbath, and The Raspberries riffs. While these experiments would turn Nirvana, Soundgarden, and their ilk into 90's touchstones, the indie movement at large moved on to revisiting the works of Brian Wilson, New Order and Bruce Springsteen for a new generation.
The Revisionists, a young trio from Los Angeles, follow in the footsteps of the 80's underground heroes on a no frills power pop via punk debut. The guitar/bass/drums trio speeds through ten songs in 35 minutes of meat and potatoes rock n roll. "Good and Bad" sounds like prime era Teenage Fanclub with classicist guitar appregios and an affecting vocal hook. "Broken Wing" steals Keith Richards' riff from "Happy" and turns it into an accusatory rocker with a commanding drumbeat courtesy of Kevin Shepard. If the Revisionists want to be a band to be reckoned with, they will need to stop writing miscues like the lyrically unsavory "Mr. Stupid" (chorus: "You are such a stupid bitch") and explore the limits of their sound, like their forbears did on Hootenanny and Zen Arcade. Until then, they at least gave the world one more fun rock album.
Track Listing
1. Universal
2. See You Around
3. Mr. Stupid
4. Slack Jaw
5. Monday
6. Fic-Fic-Fiction
7. Good and Bad
8. Broken Wing
9. Garden Home
10. IDWK
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