IDOW preview:: Bend the River Revolt of Angels

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One of the acts I’m most excited to see at this year’s IDOW is actually a local band. Sure, getting to see Jolie Holland again will be something fantastic, but after listening to the new disc from Bend the River countless times in the last week or so, they have jumped up the list of "must see" acts.

Revolt of Angels is a unique blend of fireside intimacy, rock and full blown, country-fused soul. Vocalists Ronok and RJ can tug at your heart with only a tender narrative and his guitar (like he does for the first minute of Never Be the Same Again or the country tinged One of These Days), but the band is skilled enough to transform even his starkest emotions into a complete effort, filling in the ample space with Matt Myer’s keyboard work, electric guitar and drums but making sure to never overpower the mix.

The band seems to have a never ending well from which to sample. The Arrival lets Ronok reveal a tender falsetto and shows the band inching towards a Brit pop sound and although the opening track, The Want relies on Jonathan Andrew’s jazzy lead guitar to set the mood of the song, the song builds into a more modern pop affair. The title track is a surprisingly delicate, country waltz and even though the album closer, She Keeps it Hanging On uses a lot of the same sonic palette, but the band freshens the effort by spiking the energy as they surge towards the finish.

But in my opinion, it’s when the band fleshes out the sounds with organ, harmonies and a bit of drama that their sound really clicks. It’s hard to imagine a band so young being able to dabble in the sound spectrum as Van Morrison, but melody and feel of Aimless Rivers shows that they have the skill to handle the bigger arrangements. The gentle build of keys and guitar push the song into the chorus, and the jazzy breakdown shows a maturity you wouldn’t expect to get from an unheralded local release.

Instead of my typical process of finding a record that sounds good filtering through the crackle of my computer speakers or iPod and can be embraced by the type of people that run or read music blogs, I’m happy to find a band that can be shared and enjoyed by anyone. I’m happy to find a band that plays music that won’t be an afterthought in a few weeks and one that could win the hearts of any of the people that show up early to the Bus Stop Theatre on the 28th

Labels: Canada, IDOW, Music