What can I really say? Call me Johnny come lately, but I was about 20 friggin’ years tardy in investigating this rather snazzy Austin-based quartet. The Reivers originally opened up shop as Zeitgeist, but were forced to change their name about two years after Translate Slowly was released in 1985. During their tenure in the ‘80s The Reivers were part of a little known, folk/modern-rock vanguard dubbed the “New Sincerity,” which you can read more about here. Other so-called “sincerity” outfits like The True Believers, Wild Seeds, Doctor’s Mob, and the slyly named Texas Instruments, were also part of this central-Texan mini-movement that had a firm presence in Austin, but little elsewhere.
With loads of jangly, echoing guitar leads, and vintage college-rock aplomb, the co-ed Reivers recalled some personal favorites such as Dreams So Real, Translator, and perhaps more vaguely, The Replacements. Translate Slowly features a rather stiff rendition of Daniel Johnston’s “Waking the Cow,” amongst of bevy of solid originals. This rip was from the cd version which included bonus tracks. It is now out of print and getting tougher to find.
01. Araby
02. Cowboys
03. Legendary Man
04. Blue Eyes
05. She Digs Ornette
06. Things Don't Change
07. Translate Slowly
08. Sound and the Fury
09. Without My Sight
10. I Knew
11. Freight Train Rain
12. Hill Country Theme
13. Electra (Cd bonus track; originally on Zeitgeist E.P.)
14. Wherehaus Jamb (Cd bonus track; originally on Zeitgeist E.P.)
15. Walking The Cow (Daniel Johnston) (Cd bonus track)
Get it from Amazon downloads and iTunes.
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