Search - The Durutti Column :: Rebellion

Blue is the color

loteq | Regensburg | 10/09/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Durutti Column's first album, "The return of the DC", was one of the most subtle revolutions ever in rock music; released in the heyday of the post-punk movement in 1979, it seemed to transcend both time and musical boundaries with its web-like guitar textures, soft melodies and dark atmospherics. More than 20 years later, Vini Reilly's one-man project is still around -- now he's the leader of UK's oldest independent outfit and enters the new millennium with "Rebellion", an album which isn't as consistently innovative and strong as his signature '80s material ("LC", "The guitar and...", "Vini Reilly"), but is nonetheless a very respectable effort with a number of reasonably contemporary influences added into the mix. Keir Stewart's production methods are very transparent and keep things at a much more complex level than Durutti Column's recent '90s albums, allowing each sonic detail and element to thrive and often combining seemingly disparate elements to amazing effects. This becomes immediately apparent with the opening track "4 Sophia", a piece that definitely deserves 'classic' status. Typical for DC's acoustic songs it's actually quite simple: various guitar lines play over airy synth backings, but it's the arrangement of melodies and chord changes which make it all sound so unique. On the other hand, the better part of "Rebellion" encompasses an amazing variety of styles and genres and seems to have a definite desire not to sound too similar to anything else from the band's catalog; at times one thinks Vini and his mates try a bit too hard in exploring new avenues, particularly with the rap section of "Overlord part 1" (perhaps to win new fans in urban markets?), but it's a really refreshing change of pace from an outfit that had seemed to have gone stagnant. In terms of production, "Longsight romance" is another brilliant piece, with Vini's soft singing and gentle guitar drones surrounded by ethnic drums and acoustic guitar parts. The exquisite "Geh cak..." provides some of the album's best moments, featuring crystal-clear guitar picking interspersed with nagging feedback and dense, powerful percussions patterns by long-time musical partner Bruce Mitchell. Elsewhere, the emphasis is more on light pop melodies and lyrics about love and devotion - although it should be said that no artist here is a singer in the usual sense of the word - an approach which will be familiar to owners of 1998's "Time was gigantic". While the catchy "Voluntary arrangement" leans more towards the electronic and beat-heavy end of DC's sound, "The fields of Athenry" (complete with harmonica and Mediterranean flavor), "Falling" and "Mello part 1" expand on the romantic and tuneful component one usually associates with Durutti Column. "Mello part 2" and "Protest song" are also worth mentioning, the former offering a dramatic blend of echoed guitar riffs with looped, metallic-sounding rhythm samples, the latter combining banjo tinklings and somewhat fluffy female vocals not far removed from Mike Oldfield's more esoteric work. However, the album's least successful song arrives at the end in the shape of the noisy and pretentious "Meschugana", which isn't a particularly memorable way to conclude this 55-minute disc. In sum, this is one of the most rewarding albums with the Durutti Column name on it - varied styles, flawless production and great audio quality ensure that this is an exciting listening experience and as a fan of independent pop music you'll not be disappointed. And once again, Durutti Column aren't getting the major label support they deserve..."

Best DC CD in some time

effjackie | Centennial, CO USA | 07/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vini Reilly seems to keep reinventing his sound with every album, even if he does keep certain elements of the DC sound in place. I mean, this cd has a rap song on it for godsakes (Overlord Part I), and the song has certain, familiar sounding guitar licks that resonate in the background- check out the song to understand what I saying. "Falling" and "Voluntary Arrangement" are right up there with the best ever of the DC tunes. With past DC purchases I have questioned whether or not the cd was worth the import price- that thought did not even cross my mind with this purchase. Buy it."

Vini Really Put His Mind to This One!

Hiroo Yamagata | Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Japan | 10/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many of the recent DC albums were... well, half hearted, so to say. "Life was Gigantic" (was it?) album started great, but then many of the remaining songs just sort of fades away in the middle, or maybe rather unclear where he wants to go. But this one is not like that. The first track is, ahhhh, it's THE DC guitar that we all love and expect, and then Vini took the time and effort to make the rest of the tracks tight and thorough. It was really worth the wait. This is a DC album that can be recommended even to a non-DC fan. If you like quiet, melodic and clever guitar music, try this out."