Burn Down The Charade - Revelations & Revolutions CD (part)

Hear The Track Here

A request through the Rebel Riffs blog now, Burn Down The Charade being a 'indie space-rock' duo from Phoenix, AZ. Now I don't know about you guys but whenever I see the term 'space rock' anything I get flashbacks and look around wildly for marauding Hawkwind fans. Also, it has to be said, I had my fill of space rock the first time round, with or without Hawkwind who unwittingly seem to have become an institution on the gig circuit. Aaah, t'was ever thus? What?? You never heard of Hawkwind?? Damn, where have you been, correct your behaviour right here! Mind you, a duo would find it hard to make the kind of racket Hawkwind specialise in, so maybe this would be space-rock of the Jimi Hendrix and/or Pink Floyd kind...

Before he died and they went prog...

Sean Herring and Daniel Smith are the aforementioned duo and they sent me three tracks from their new Revelations & Revolutions CD and - as you can see - I entered the reviewing arena with all my prejudice bolstered. Believe What You Know started the proceedings off and I was surprised at how infectiously rhythmic it was, and considering that it's almost an acoustic track. Immediately obvious is the talent that these two guys bring to the party, Believe What You Know rings true on a great many levels; arrangement, performance and songwriting ability. Moreover, the indie space rock thing does hold some water although it's not the genre I would have reached for automatically.

Married To The Sea builds from the same template as Believe What You Know which makes me think that the band's claim to be 'a unique and personal sound' is certainly true, although they are building on classic rock roots and a lot of what you hear is hauntingly familiar. Part of that claim comes about because they perform and produce every note within the duo, and that will definitely give you a distinct sound. Great thing is that all three tracks don't sound home produced at all. Brilliant Kids is the third track I received and the absolute first impression was that it sounds like a Coldplay track (Yellow?) which, in certain quarters, could be taken as a compliment. Personally I preferred the first two tracks but that's because I like that particular sound. A good taster for the album, that's for sure.

Excellent, intelligent indie rock. Highly Recommended