Year of the Fist - Revive Me
Year of the Fist are a hurricane of swirling rock n' roll
Every now and then you're lucky enough to come across a band that delivers the welcome palette cleanser your tired ears have been waiting for. Oakland, CA rock n' roll band Year of the Fist are a cleanser perfect for all jaded ears. They are a hurricane of swirling rock n' roll poundage that revives memories of the Sympathy for the Record Industry heyday where garage-fueled rock n' roll kept things dirty and mean. They're the kind of musical discordance your Mom warned you about, a musical fist to the face and the kind of record that used to signal that you were a miscreant, a troublemaker, a punk.
Taking cues from the Red Aunts, The Detroit Cobras, and at times, a dangerous Donnas, Year of the Fist are powered by the dual-attack vocals of Squeaky and Katie Cash; vocals that cut glass the same way Brodie Dalle did on those early Distillers records. Backed by razor-sharp guitars and a flurry from the low-end, we're given songs like the in-your-face opening of "Ghosts", and the acid-tongued "Loose Teeth in the Wind", both find examples of what Year of the Fist are capable of. However, it isn't always in-your-face. On the occasion they want to turn up the harmonies, we're given anthemic pop-punk in "Block Out the Sun". The song exhibits a little bubblegum, but doesn't forgo any of the hard-hitting rock n' roll.
Sure its easy to criticise a record that has a little sameness to it through out, and Revive Me doesn't stray too far from dirty garage rock n' roll (maybe except for the sludgy, grunge-influenced "In This Room"). However, variety can often come at the expense of a solid backbone, a clear and distinct personality. This isn't a problem on Revive Me as Year of the Fist make no bones as to who they are. Sometimes you just want a record to kick your ass, and Year of the Fist will do that 11 times over on Revive Me. A very solid album and recommended rock n' roll listening.
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