Review- Sarah Shook and The Disarmers: Revelations
Photo by Brett Villena
Last year with the release of Mightmare’s debut record, I began my exploration of River Shook’s catalog and body of work, which meant a deep dive into the Disarmers catalog. What became immediately obvious to me is that River has always had a substantial power for writing songs with impact. The standout update for me was seeing the maturity in the musicianship and vocal approach to really drive those songs to places that most artists spend late nights agonizing over the details they're hoping to reach. It was simple but without losing any weight or power, it was sharpened and edited down to just hard hitting lyrics coupled with hummable melodies, and it was just what “rock” records should be. The last record River and company produced under the Disarmers moniker was also just an absolute powerhouse. This made me almost hesitant to review Revelations as I was afraid that it wouldn’t hit as hard without the novelty. Well, kind readers, it still hits like a southern accent tinged indie rock Mack truck head on collision. I shouldn’t be surprised, but somehow, I still am.
The title track “Revelations,” has sparse lyrics, and approaches that leaned down, say more with less mentality of songwriters I admire and envy. The opening line sets a tone that you know, buckle up and settle in, this one’s probably going to hurt. This track represents what I admire most in River’s writing: fearlessness when it comes to talking about how they feel and see the world. There is a lack of hesitation that comes from continued pushing of internal boundaries until you can just tell the truth. This approach seems to resonate inside of listeners like some person to person radio transmission with direct connection to emotional receptors. It's potent.
“Black cloud followin’ me around / Little storm in my head / Some days I levitate off the ground / Some days I can’t get out of bed”
“Dogbane” lets you know that this isn’t a lesson in optimism. The song doesn’t have the joy of a hymn, but elicits the same emotional cleansing; in some ways it’s like an exorcism of dark thoughts. Words that live on a page can’t take up residence in your head and this song excises them in a tune that has the bounce that calls back to the previous Nightroamer release. Musically, this one has a level of production that makes it immediately listenable, and you’ll be humming along before you even recognize the darkness in the lyrics.
“If the end of the world is nigh / If every well is just about to run dry / When the whippoorwill is too tired to cry / Nothin' keepin' us on our knees / Just watchin' ants and plantin' seeds / And the flowers ain't no better than the weeds”
“Nightingale” is another absolutely gutting track. The familiar warble and quick vibrato in River’s voice that signals that this is a Disarmers record is present almost out of the gate. There’s a lonesomeness to the presentation of the vocals that just cuts through any pretense and accentuates all of the painful parts of the carefully curated lyrics. To say that the lyrics are poetic would be an understatement. They touch the borders of esoteric and feel like a spell cast to conjure emotions that we rarely see, all while giving them the mass to cut through the smoke from the fire of a beautifully (self) produced record.
“Out under the velvet expanse / Mirrored on a placid black sea / This bell that I built with my own two hands / Is gonna be the death knell of me”
“Jane Doe” is an example of what River does best. A recipe most people can’t get quite right. Part self-deprecation, part self-loathing, a little bit of observation, with a healthy sprinkling of the right details. It immediately hits in the part of you that files the boxes of emotions in the back corner of your mind where you never really want to visit. Pulling out files of emotions, throwing them on the table, forcing yourself to go over them until they just don’t hurt as bad. It’s exposure therapy through art, and it’s unequivocally devastating and undeniably beautiful.
“Light me up a smoke / Tell myself a little joke / And keep headed up this road / Lord, what would my mama say”
“You tell yourself little white lies / Look me dead in my black eye / And say to me I got what I deserved”
To wrap this up without talking about the contributions of the remaining Disarmers would be a disservice to a well-oiled band that absolutely knows how to create a platform for these songs. Blake Tallent did a masterful job with the instrumentation on the record where the guitars are concerned. They are beautifully toned and executed, sometimes direct, sometimes soundscape, always the right part. The rhythm section of Andrew Lambie and Jack Foster make the movement of these tracks real, and breathes life into them consistently. The addition and foundation of pedal steel in these tracks by Nick Larimore is an example of knowing when and what to play, and when to let a song breathe. River produced the record and to be very honest, it’s a great show of what someone who intimately understands their own sound and intentions are capable of.
River Shook and company have put together another complete, emotional experience set to music. It’s a journey that will hurt, heal, have you singing and make you think. To say River Shook has songwriting, musicianship and production skills is a gross understatement. Luckily for all of us, Revelations is available everywhere Friday 3/29 everywhere, so give it a listen and enjoy, but be prepared.
Find out more about Sarah Shook and The Disarmers at the links below:
