The Buddyrevelles
Don't Quit
Solitare
By Doug Wallen
It’s been the better part of a decade since we’ve heard from the Buddyrevelles, a little-known indie rock trio whose second biggest distinction is rave reviews on a nascent Pitchfork for their 1998 effort September, November and 2000’s American Matador. The biggest distinction: that knotty/breezy formula, which sets guitarist Aaron Grant’s breathy pop songwriting against muscular, almost math-y dynamics.
When bassist Scott Hoch chimes in alongside Grant with his extra-low vocals, it’s one more big contrast for a band that thrives on contrast. Drummer Dan Reinholdt plays both sides against each other, throwing himself fully into his kit in some spots and adopting a sprightly touch elsewhere. None of this is to paint the band as schizophrenic, though. If anything, their records display an organic, heartfelt reconciliation between the tough and the wimpy.
If the utter uniqueness of the Buddyrevelles’ sound has worn off somewhat by Don’t Quit, it’s no less potent than its precursors. With the exception of the exploratory five minutes of “The Way Of Enchanted Falls,” the songs are short, taut, and peopled with snappy lyrics. The best entry, “Moods of…,” has the album’s most commanding guitar parts but also the prettiest singing and one of the darker plots (‘There’s a lot of reasons I shouldn’t drink’), not to mention a spot-on deconstruction of itself halfway through. “The Best is Ready to Begin” is more urgent, whereas “Aggravated Robbery” is a rumbling quickie and the closing “Tradition Calls” downshifts the way a final song should.
There’s an inescapable ’90s-ness to this band, whether it’s the Superchunk hooks, Built to Spill sprawl, Polvo tangles, or True Love Always bashfulness, but each of those earmarks will please anyone who remembers those bands and simply blow past anyone who doesn’t. Meanwhile, the Buddyrevelles keep on chugging along in the comfort of their very specific niche, always there for the lucky few who happen to stumble past.
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