Colour Revolt
Plunder, Beg, and Curse (2008)
Brian Shultz
With Colour Revolt's self-titled EP, the band had laid to tape one of the most epic and cathartic versions of The Moon & Antarctica-era Modest Mouse thought possible. Apparently that was good enough for them, because their full-length followup, Plunder, Beg, and Curse attempts to adopt more than an Oxford comma -- a more brooding style of indie rock, which results in about as fantastic a work as background music can be.
It's important to mention that producer Clay Jones gives Colour Revolt a bizarrely grungy vibe, like an early Sub Pop release. Whether it was for better or worse is hard to tell. But the fuzz and noisy dirges of "Elegant View" are illuminated by Jones' touch, showing that the band has all but ditched the atmosphere of Colour Revolt for an occasionally more smothering flinch. However, that's not to say there isn't room to breathe; post-rock twinkles are sprinkled in opener "Naked and Red" and "Moses of the South," while guitars bark and sway in "See It."
Jesse Coppenbarger is at once the problem and the solution to all of this. The vocalist tends to deliver his thematically and symbolically religious and generally cryptic lyrics in a slightly lower register, with hints of both faux-Brit accent and Southern drawl. It's an assuredly interesting mix, but he rarely reaches beyond this tone and never eclipses the aggression showcased on the EP. He gets a little uppity during the record's third-quarter or so, but it's mostly a jejune section that largely passes by unnoticed.
While admittedly more unique than its preceding EP, Colour Revolt's Plunder, Beg, and Curse is a consistently curious but sometimes unremarkable effort. They promise multiple explosions but, like a firework with a broken fuse, doesn't always deliver them.