This isn’t a slam. Ever wondered what The Observers would have sounded like if they were formed by Simon and Garfunkel? The Revisions provide that answer. Led by Doug Burns, the singer and one (?) of the songwriters for The Observers—the voice is familiar, so are the structures of the songs—but instead of Molotovs of sound trying to light up ghettos, it’s more cocktails of sophistication. (Maybe a better analogue would TV Smith’s solo acoustic work, verses what he did with The Adverts). Wire brush drumming, intricately textured strumming, acoustic guitar, piano: it’s taking a little bit of getting used to. You know, you associate a voice with a certain expectation if you’ve listened to it in one way for so long. But there’s no doubt Doug can write the hell out of a song. I’ll probably return to this at the end of long days, when I want to wind down.
–todd (Green Noise)