The Joester Sessions '08-'11 [CD]

Three previous vinylsDirty Water,Life Moves, and Derailerare corralled onto a long player, with the addition of a new song, Elizabethan Collar. I like to think of 7s like kittens. Theyre fun to play with, but theyre a lot of work. LPs are cats. You can let them be for a bit, have them go on adventures without constant attention. Gives you time to reflect on both the songs and whats going on in your own life. Time to stew. RVIVRs powerful. Theres no denying theyre passionate, seething, opinionated, and savagely determined. Theyre melodic. Their delivery is nice and raw; blood-filled. Its great to hear people believing so hard in what they do and be able to translate that into meaningful songs. When this record spun, I sat down with the lyrics again. This isnt wide-eyed idealism. Its deep scars. Lost friends. The worlds far too often flawed and broken, nasty and shallow. And those are all reasons to be more resilient bastards. Otherwise, the banks, cops, organized religion, community planners and all the nasty isms win. Lifelong DIY punk is a faith-based enterprise that we all pay using a currency more precious than money. RVIVR is one of its most compelling working examples of what good can come of all this; that flowers can grow in the cracks of concrete. Im on board. They still give me occasional chills. todd, razorcake

• Format Detail: CD
• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock