Revolushn, a San Francisco based psychedelic rock band, layers ridiculous lyrics over interesting melodies and has the irresistible appeal of other off-the-wall groups, like They Might Be Giants, Tragedy, Tenacious D, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Its latest release Further!! (yes, with double exclamation marks) seems to be inspired by new wave, classic, and alternative rock music. It is both amazingly good and hilariously weird, which is not surprising considering the band consists of professional musicians with many years of impressive experience.
For example, drummer and principle writer Dekay (David Kendrick) was a member of several iconic groups such as Devo, Sparks, and Gleaming Spires. Guitarist, vocalist and keyboardist, NO, is a producer and in-demand session player. Similarly, vocalist and bass guitarist, Guinevere Q, is an award-winning composer and full-time musician. And Revolushn's guitarist, vocalist and mandolin player, Young Sun, has performed and recorded with numerous bands in the San-Fran area. Last but not least is Schubert Ola, who is a trained musician and former doctor.
Produced by Aaron Conner and released on June 15th, the 9-track album is full of incredible riffs, sweet solos, and catchy lyrics – some of which are fairly out there. “Dinosaurs,” for example, starts off as psychedelic jazz that quickly morphs into heavy 70s inspired rock with lyrics that describe the historic animals as “big and mean.” “The River,” on the other hand, is very different; slower, less experimental and more melodic, it’s still rock-solid, but less aggressive.
“Weird Little Minds” is more alternative, with a catchy chorus. On a different note, “Man Who Knew Everything” brings back the old-school rock feel we heard on “Dinosaurs.” But the slowest track on the album is “You Will Go”; it features the least Ozzy-like vocals on the album and seems to be fairly linear. “Dogs Get High” is a very strange track, since it literally makes you feel like you’re having auditory hallucinations, while “All As It Should Be” is a throwback to 70s style rock.
But, my favorite two songs on the album are the title track “Further” and “Time + Travel = Time.” The former evokes comparisons to Devo, while the latter features awesome rock music with absurd lyrics, which is probably what appeals to me the most. As such, Further!! is a great album for those who appreciate fantastic music and an approachable sense of humor, which Revolushn has enough of to go around. Check out the band's work here, and follow it on Facebook!
Note* Album provided for objective review by our partners.