Suck

For those who see The Revs as mere purveyors of high-energy goodtime pop rock, Suck will be some ear-opener. While it exudes the exuberance and revelry we’ve come to expect from the Donegal trio, there’s more subtlety here than we’ve a right to expect.

‘Opener’ swaggers in at full tilt, pauses for a bit of adventurous noodling before re-igniting the riffola again. A superb choral piece segues it into ‘Wasteland’ which owes a few bob to The Police, but its delicate harmonies should win over a few doubters. ‘Gimme Something’ opens up an even broader soundscape, hints at Mundy’s ‘July’ before slipping into Brian Wilson territory. It boasts magnificent vocals and a breathtaking churchy effect interspersed with heavy guitars and pounding drums and bass, all to create a classy pop symphony.

While ‘Death Of A DJ’ and ‘In Your Eyes’ don’t scale those heights, and ‘You Will Never Know Who I Am’ is spoiled by silly door noises, ‘Acid Rain’ makes up for them all. It’s a magnificent slab of sixties pop-rock that cannons off The Who, The Hollies and The Beach Boys and it’s brilliant. The raucous, early Kinksy ‘A Bomb’ also delivers what its title promises, with a snarly punk to boot.

The jazz-tinged ‘Best Days’ is gentler and more acoustic, with hints of Stipe about Rory Gallagher’s beguiling vocal. The oddly titled ‘Eire Calling’ is subtler in a laid-back U2/REM kinda way, with ethereal vocals that demand repeat hearings. ‘Heaven’ also profitably ventures into U2 territory, while ‘Student Daze’ turboes in with a glorious slice of American frat-brat pop á la Blink 182 and Semisonic.

So The Revs don’t just wear their influences on their sleeve, they’re all over the music too. But they only borrow from the best and rarely miss an opportunity to add their own unique spice to the stew. Of course what they do hardly satisfies the Irish rocknoscenti, but even the latter may have to admit that sometimes the fans know best. This is one of those times.