Tales from Armageddonsville – November 24th 2018 – Eclectic Music Lover

https://eclecticmusiclover.com/2018/11/24/revolution-rabbit-deluxe-album-review-tales-from-armageddonsville/

It was a pleasant surprise to be contacted by Welsh band Revolution Rabbit Deluxe about their debut album Tales From Armageddonsville. I was intrigued by the lively, Brit-rock sound and its thought-provoking lyrics. RRD began as a solo act by vocalist Rev Rab (RR), but quickly became a full band.

The album kicks off to a rousing start with “Tarred and Feathered,” a pointed attack on racism and inequality institutionalised by the state: “When you’re judge and jury; to approve by not disapproving. Our best qualities are arrogance and pride.” The band delivers chugging riffs of gritty guitars set to a hard-driving beat and strutting bass line. The piano provides a melodic counterpoint to the guitar, making for an exciting and powerful song.

The band takes on cultural and media mind-control with “Pavlov’s Dogs,” driving home the message with a barrage of punchy guitars, fuzzy riffs, screeching synths and thumping drumbeats. RR laments the false expectations we fall victim to: “See that girl, she’s so unhappy. Thinks her life should be like the silver screen. Sometimes she wants to scream. That video is so seductive. Feeds the dream, but denies the means.”

One of my favourite tracks is “In God We Trust,” a song that calls into question one’s faith in God with an air that exists somewhere between a catchy Beach Boys-esque vibe and a darker psychedelic tone. RR implores “Save me, why don’t you save me?” He goes on to ask why not save an assortment of people that society deems ‘undesirable’ – like the hookers, pushers, pimps, dealers, the one-parent family and union moguls. He finally caustically beseeches “And while you’re at it, you can save the man. And while you’re at it, save the man in the moon!”

“I Can’t Change Your Mind” speaks to mental illness, with jangly guitars and spooky synths that lend a strong 80s feel. RR laments his loneliness and irrelevance: “I’m alone here in the dark. Please don’t throw me scraps of hope. Fade away, I fade away. A shadow lost on sunny days.” A backing chorus sings the refrain “I cannot take much more. I cannot change your mind” throughout.

The terrific lo-fi guitar-driven tracks “Going Solo” and “Chords Played All Wrong” would have been right at home on the Beatles’ White Album, and “Blackwood Calling” has a throwback 60s Brit-rock vibe, but with 80s New Wave sensibility. More grungy lo-fi goodness abounds on “Helen Needs,” a song about a woman looking for relief from her negativity and self-pity. “Helen needs another love song. Spitting sweetness from her headphones.” I especially like the quirky little guitar notes and powerful drumbeat that continue throughout the track.

Another favourite is the hard-hitting and provocative “Whore?” – a song that, in the band’s words, “deconstructs the modern Western family and asks why so many people in the Third World suffer to give us our standard of living.” “Your perfect family, for you it’s milk and honey, while for others it’s a river of blood.” The song has a bit of a Depeche Mode vibe, with its strong, crunchy guitars, spacey synths and the kind of heavy, mesmerising beat I love.

“Catechisms/Cataclysms” urges us to change our ways for the betterment of the world, delivered with a barrage of gritty guitars and a hard-driving beat. “Armageddonsville” closes the album with an ominous warning of the consequences of our wicked ways. The track opens with late 80s-sounding techno synths and a strummed guitar as RR cautions: “It’s getting hotter and they say we’re gonna fry. The ice is melting, polar bears are gonna die. Spilling blood for oil, it makes me want to cry.” The guitars, bass and drums intensify to become a tumultuous onslaught, driving home the seriousness of the subject matter. RR wails “Welcome stranger, take a seat and say a prayer. There’s nothing else to do in Armageddonsville.”

Tales From Armageddonsville is a fine work, and succeeds as a concept album that speaks to a number of thorny issues currently facing Western societies. The songwriting, lyrics, instrumentation and arrangements are all exceptional, and I enjoyed immensely.