Review Summary: Colour Revolt, two years and three band members later, assure us that everything is the same.
Colour Revolt has been traveling a long and bumpy road since their early days playing shows around Jackson, Mississippi. They are technically from Oxford, but not until some time after their early days under the names Foxxe and Fletcher. They began as young boys in a small private high school before they grew up and went to the University of Mississippi where they established the band as we know it today. Despite being an incredibly talented group of young men, the hardships that have befallen them really put a kink in the spokes as far as their progression as a single entity is concerned. With a career that has been marred by name, label, and lineup changes, a natural disaster (Hurricane Katrina), and many other things, they still have somehow found a way to create quality music in the latest edition to their discography.
What some in our small, online Sputnikmusic community may not be aware of is that Colour Revolt had a little influence on the direction Brand New took as a band. The two bands toured together, and shortly after this tour, Brand New released the critically acclaimed
Devil and God, which displayed an uncanny resemblance in sound to Colour Revolt’s self-titled EP. I was a little upset at the time, feeling a more well-known band had stolen a home-town favorite’s modus operandi. This isn’t to discredit Brand New because they unquestionably delivered a classic all on their own, but they definitely altered their sound into one that seems to mimic Colour Revolt to a large degree, and they are all the better for it.
While this is only their second full-length album under the current moniker, Colour Revolt deliver
The Cradle eight years since their genesis in the capital city. The album begins with the song “8 Years”, which tells stories of the times the band spent together prior to the departure of Patrick Addison (bass), Jimmy Cajoleas (guitar), and Len Clark (drums). The vocals of Jesse Coppenbarger sound great on this album and perhaps more confident and natural than on prior releases. The extremely personal lyrics delivered throughout this body of work are another enormous component of its strength. The harmonies provided by Sean Kirkpatrick are fantastically solid and are always one of the highlights of a Colour Revolt release.
The album was primarily written by Coppenbarger and Kirkpatrick since they were the only current members at the time, but it received creative pieces of genius from Daniel Davison, now full-time drummer of metalcore juggernaut, Underoath. The title track and “Mona Lisa” are fantastic examples of his drumming prowess, and he really shows on this album that he isn’t pinned in by any single genre. His drumming blends with the guitar work and occasional keys (by Brooks Tipton) to make songs that range from slow and powerful to ambient and spacey to just downright fun and catchy. “Everything is the Same” is the embodiment of slow and powerful just as “Each Works” delivers perfect atmospheric ambiance.
While this album lacks a bit of aggression found on previous releases, it is definitely nothing short of amazing. Instead of expanding on sounds found on old tracks like “Circus”, they chose instead to follow more closely to the sounds of tracks like “Moses of the South”. I feel this is the vein where Coppenbarger’s voice really excels. Colour Revolt used their troubles to find their direction and really settle in their niche in the music world. I hope that many will one day stumble upon this band, because not only are they an audible adventure, they definitely deserve some success for triumphing over their many evils.
Recommended Tracks: 8 Years, Everything is the Same, Each Works, Mona Lisa
