The Lost Revival, Homemade Confetti

Homemade Confetti is The Lost Revival’s debut album, though they formed in 2005. They originally had a more predictable line-up, but added a synthesizer and drum machine after having their guitars stolen; the shift changed their whole vibe. Their sound wavers along a blues-rock line, which Jay Allen at Relay Recording helped them master. He wanted to instill the same intensity from their live show into the record, and it seems to have worked.

There are seven core members in the band, but sometimes when they play on stage, a couple extra will be added. Their live performances are said to be the real essence of the band, and they quickly turn into a dance party. Singer Kevin Collins has Bob Dylan-esque — yet deeper and huskier — vocals, and I’m also reminded of Dylan because of the harmonica The Lost Revival picks up every so often on this disc. They put the most emphasis on the electric guitars, which often wail away in the background, but they also utilize piano, vox, a mouthharp (which I find impressive, because those things really hurt if you don’t know how to use them correctly), and hand claps.

As the CD plays, you can easily forget you’re listening to a Christian band if you concentrate on the music alone. Not all the emphasis for this one is on words. In fact, sometimes you can’t understand a single raspy thing Collins is saying. It doesn’t become apparent until the middle that the lyrics are Jesus-related, unless you know ahead of time to interpret them that way.

For instance, track one, “First Day,” starts with, “Today is the first day / of the end of your life,” which could be taken differently if you didn’t already know what their message is. But by the time you get to track seven, “Jailbait,” they use archaic language taken from The Bible — “Make haste / the hour has gotten late” — making their intentions much more obvious. Perhaps they do this to ease the listener into the idea. Another example would be in track ten, “Whiskey Lake,” when Collins sings, “Your voice is the only one I can hear.” This song comes to an anti-climactic ending, because the tension in the background never releases itself into the big bang you expect, leaving you kind of disappointed.

Overall, I’d say that this album is a decent debut and has some interesting musical attributes, though the songs don’t stick in your head. I also think of them as a band that is probably more enjoyable live, where all the music can expand and cut loose.