COLOUR REVOLT > Plunder, Beg and Curse

The Oxford, Miss., quintet Colour Revolt have most of the Southern rock traits well in place, from their graveled rhythm guitar accented by woozy blues licks, seething drum rolls and howling vocals, which lean heavily on angst-ridden religious metaphors. 

Label: Fat Possum
[Rating: 2.5 stars]

The Oxford, Miss., quintet Colour Revolt have most of the Southern rock traits well in place, from their graveled rhythm guitar accented by woozy blues licks, seething drum rolls and howling vocals, which lean heavily on angst-ridden religious metaphors. With the release of their latest LP Plunder, Beg and Curse-though not the band’s first full-length, that dating back to ‘03 under the name Fletcher-Colour Revolt somehow sidesteps hick rock typecasts by composing hoarse ballads that rise above their jerkwater upbringing, perhaps in part due to producer/engineer Clay Jones of Modest Mouse fame. That’s not to say Plunder accomplishes enough to remain compelling past the swooning stand-out “A Siren,” or gruff yelps of “Swamp” that carries so much of the album’s gritty textures. For as well as the album carries its own weight, it’s far too easy to skip from track to track, and eventually move on altogether.