Reverend & The
Makers – The Death Of A King (Cooking Vinyl)
LP / CD / DL
Out Now
8 / 10
Review by Joseph.
The post-britpop
clutch of indie bands saw a great number of promising acts who didn’t quite
know how to keep things fresh; either becoming repetitive within the space of a
few albums or making complete missteps towards reinvention. As a band
remembered best for their one massive single (you know the one…), Reverend and
the Makers’ intent to plough ambitious new furrows could’ve left them in the
latter category long ago, were they not so adept at mastering new sounds – a
skill clearly exhibited on ‘The Death of a King’, their sixth album.
From the rootsy stomp
of opener ‘Miss Haversham’, it’s clear that this LP is not going to be easily
defined in genre terms – ‘the Rev’ Jon McClure’s swagger of old is still
detectable behind the acoustic guitars. Second track Auld Reekie Blues goes
from post-Oasis indie ballad to a shimmering slice of jangly guitar pop,
sounding far more current than most bands at the Makers’ stage could dream of.
Onto ‘Bang Saray’, an
instrumental infused with a variety of Eastern influences, jungle drums and
violins joined midway through by heavy bass and a beat that could’ve been taken
from a Mark Ronson composition circa ‘Record Collection’. ‘Boomerang’ follows
with a hypnotically repetitive electropop groove, flowing into the garage
riffery of ‘Too Tough To Die’ – the kind of style casual listeners might have
expected from Rev, but still sounding as fresh and confident as the name
suggests.
The album’s influences
become very clear at times – the minute-long piano ditty ‘Carlene’ sounds very
much like White Album-era McCartney, as McClure laments the titular one who got
away over a deceptively upbeat tune. ‘Time Machine’’s synthy funk has a trendy
vibe usually reserved for the likes of Dutch Uncles and raises the LP’s already
high danceability quota through the roof, sounding contemporary enough to
render its title wholly ironic.
Sprawling closer
‘Black Flowers’ begins with keyboard player (and The Rev’s wife) Laura McClure
taking vocals for a hypnotic, grooving three minutes. The track seems to come to
a natural conclusion, before flourishing into a psychedelic, Sgt. Pepperesque
instrumental. A wistful, folky hidden track replete with droning sitars and
super-tight vocal harmonies solidifies the Beatles comparison with a clear
resemblance to ‘Because’ – but with enough of an original touch to work in its
own right. Then, as if simply to change sonic course one more time, the closing
seconds of the track spiral into an atmospheric, white-noise drone to play the
album out.
When not experimenting
with jazz and world music, ‘The Death of a King’ defaults to an eclectic,
groovy post-indie mix of folk rock and modern post-punk influences. Many of the
tracks would fit in seamlessly on the playlist of your average Arctic Monkeys
fan, while the more experimental tracks blend genres with an inventiveness not
usually expected of a decade-old indie band. With all Jon McClure’s talk of
Corbyn, there were worries that any forthcoming releases would be overwrought
political affairs. On the contrary, this album is decidedly personal and spends
its energy reaching out to all genres, rather than to preach. The lyrics are at
times confessional and show off a flair for storytelling – ‘Juliet Knows’ is a
highlight in this regard – but are often overshadowed by the musical journey
this record takes its listener on.
Many bands attempt
stylistic transcendence, but few manage such a diversity across twelve tracks
as The Rev and co. have achieved here. The one-time heavyweight champions of
the world took on an ambitious fight; but on ‘The Death of a King’, they
certainly aren’t punching above their weight.
Published on Louder Than War 29/09/17 - here
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