REVELINO – Revelino (1994)
Best song: “Happiness Is Mine”
If a band formed by an ex-football player seems an unlikely and rather off-putting proposition, then you’ll have to think again. Because Revelino, a criminally unknown 90s band of a former Irish footballer Brendan Tallon, certainly knew how to write a good song.
I can definitely see how Revelino’s debut album could be lost amid that hysterical British haze of mid-90s. After all, this is as non-groundbreaking as they could possibly get in 1994: a fairly conservative guitar-rock album. The fact that the record is a lot more subtle and melodically satisfying than, say, Definitely Maybe, could hardly bother anyone. Which is a shame.
Musical references. Try imagining classic 60s music played in the post-Stone Roses world – the familiar 90s deal, really. So it all boils down to tunes. The record kicks off with the magnificent single “Happiness Is Mine” full of vocal melodies to kill for. While the song sets the bar quite high and nothing else comes close, Revelino is still an amazingly consistent album. Each song has at least one brilliant element to make it totally worthwhile. The fantastic riff of “I Feel Tired”, the gutsy guitar racket of “My Bones”, the sweeping chorus of “Taking Turns”, the addictive groove of “Slave”, the delicate violin of the lovely “She’s Got The Face”... And I haven’t even mentioned the gorgeous ballad “Don’t Lead Me Down”, unquestionably the album’s second best thing.
I wouldn’t call it the perfect 90s guitar-rock record (that, of course, would be New Wave by The Auteurs), no, but it's most certainly among the more well-written ones. Totally undeserving of its ‘unjustly lost forever’ status.
I won’t bother with Irishness this time. Particularly since they didn’t bother with it either.
RECOMMENDATIONS. None, really. Tracking down this one is quite an achievement in itself.
If a band formed by an ex-football player seems an unlikely and rather off-putting proposition, then you’ll have to think again. Because Revelino, a criminally unknown 90s band of a former Irish footballer Brendan Tallon, certainly knew how to write a good song.
I can definitely see how Revelino’s debut album could be lost amid that hysterical British haze of mid-90s. After all, this is as non-groundbreaking as they could possibly get in 1994: a fairly conservative guitar-rock album. The fact that the record is a lot more subtle and melodically satisfying than, say, Definitely Maybe, could hardly bother anyone. Which is a shame. Musical references. Try imagining classic 60s music played in the post-Stone Roses world – the familiar 90s deal, really. So it all boils down to tunes. The record kicks off with the magnificent single “Happiness Is Mine” full of vocal melodies to kill for. While the song sets the bar quite high and nothing else comes close, Revelino is still an amazingly consistent album. Each song has at least one brilliant element to make it totally worthwhile. The fantastic riff of “I Feel Tired”, the gutsy guitar racket of “My Bones”, the sweeping chorus of “Taking Turns”, the addictive groove of “Slave”, the delicate violin of the lovely “She’s Got The Face”... And I haven’t even mentioned the gorgeous ballad “Don’t Lead Me Down”, unquestionably the album’s second best thing.
I wouldn’t call it the perfect 90s guitar-rock record (that, of course, would be New Wave by The Auteurs), no, but it's most certainly among the more well-written ones. Totally undeserving of its ‘unjustly lost forever’ status.
I won’t bother with Irishness this time. Particularly since they didn’t bother with it either.
RECOMMENDATIONS. None, really. Tracking down this one is quite an achievement in itself.
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