Label: Loveless RecordsRating: 4 Guns
Written By: Hilary Hughes
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I feel like I need to preface this review by bringing to the reader’s attention that I, Hilary Hughes, am shamelessly, hopelessly, and unabashedly obsessed with “Empire Records.” The 1996 film chronicling the life and love of an independent record store was one that I watched at least twice a day throughout my adolescence, and I’ve owned more than four copies of its soundtrack due to the fact that I keep wearing it out.
The reason why I’m conjuring up remembrances of this cult classic is because I feel that The Revisionists and their new self-titled album would feel right at home blasting over the speakers inside my beloved Empire. I’m not stopping there, though: I’m sure that their album would be spinning in a Doc Marten-sporting Liv Tyler’s Discman, that a hash-happy Marc (played by Ethan Embry) would bounce around the stacks of vinyl like a maniac to “Broken Wing,” and that Renee Zellweger’s tragically beautiful Tina would be gearing up to belt one of their show-stopping anthems like “Monday” in order to save the store during the movie’s climactic ending.
It’s been awhile since echoes of the post-grunge alternative music scene have made an appearance in recent releases. The alt-rock roots of The Revisionists make them direct descendents, however: two of the three members of the band, Dan Lavery and Kevin Shepard, formerly of post-grunge phenomenon Tonic, are responsible for a couple of the most memorable hits of the 90s, “If You Could Only See” and “Open Up Your Eyes.”
My favorite track, “IDWK”, has a similar chord progression to The Martinis’ “Free,” the song backing Deb as she shaves her dome in “Empire Records,” but it’s also a haunting personal inquiry regarding the state of the future that asks questions on everyone’s minds [“it doesn’t matter how I vote/this is not your father’s war, it’s being sold as if it were/how do you explain it to your kids?]”. Though the lyrics cut to the chase, the fact that they’re spliced with an upbeat, sunny melody fit for dancing forces me to applaud the contrast fitting for these venerable, beloved veterans of the 90s.
In an age where digitally-enhanced voices and computerized accompaniment are now tools of the musical trade, it’s refreshing to hear imperfect voices set to fierce distortion and weathered chords. “Empire Records,” to me, is timeless, regardless of the musical selections appropriate to the time and place on its soundtrack and the “Sinead O’Rebellion” wardrobes rocked by the post-pubescent cast. The Revisionists to me have this same appeal: there’s no questioning where they come from musically, and there’s a reason why a sound like theirs can be valued today just as much as it would’ve been in 1996.
Like this band? You may also like: Tonic, Better Than Ezra, Semisonic, The Gin Blossoms
