Revolution, I Love You

There’s a good chance that this stunning debut record from Revolution, I Love You is exactly what’s been missing in your life. We Choose to Go to the Moon features 10 tracks of experimental alt-pop driven by the perfect mix of real-world instruments and digital flourishes. As gritty guitars blend with hip-hop loops and slick bass lines dance with synthesizers, each song breathes a fresh breath of creativity and confidence. “With Anxious Smiles and Fitful Swaying” is a nice introduction to the band’s sound and their fuzz- pulsing cover of The Smith’s “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” is a welcome take on the oft-covered classic. - Noisetrade: The Noise Maker blog

Revolution I Love You’s dual guitars, synthesizers, and propulsive drumming aptly followed Hudson K’s performance, cranking up the intensity with both Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds taking Horn’s role. Having relocated from Delaware in 2010 after a couple years, the addition of a live drummer helps keep the focus on dancing, with pounding electronic beats coming from the laptops and controllers both kept strewn around them effectively accented by the addition of live fills and improvisation. The overall effect is reminiscent of Joy Division and New Order, still firmly based in rock but with sights set squarely on the dancefloor. While selling limited merchandise, they offer all of their music for free download on Bandcamp, an option they encouraged all audience members to explore. You can catch them on the Brooklyn route of the New York City Marathon November 2nd, at 1984 in Wilmington, DE the 7th, and at The Delancey in NYC on the 20th. - Music Without Labels

Philadelphia electro rockers Rob Lindgren (lead vocals/guitar/synth), Jason Reynolds (vocals/guitar/keyboards), and Jeff Ormsby (drums) of Revolution, I Love You released their new single, “Autumn Leaves,” TODAY! It is the first single from their upcoming 2015 record, Black Feathers. The single was released by Monster Entertainment and Redeye USA.

“Autumn Leaves” marks a turn away from the sunny nostalgia of the band’s most recent release, The Atlantic Ocean EP. An electro-rock take on a simple minor blues, the new track revels in its own gritty textures. Breathy vocals, rumbling bass, and blasts of guitar fuzz create a dark, brooding tone that is lightened only by the Latin groove and playful shifts in style.

This new track also showcases an arrangement that is far removed from the verse-chorus-verse structure of much contemporary popular music. “Autumn Leaves” instead follows a blueprint more common to the jazz of the 1940s. It starts off with Lindgren crooning the central melody, veers off into Jason Reynolds’ buzzsaw guitars, and eventually weaves its way through a few more instrumental ideas before coming back to the final vocal refrain.

Be sure to check out “Autumn Leaves” on the band’s Soundcloud page! - Tri State Indie

As we inch closer to the official start of fall, Revolution, I Love You creeps up on us with its latest track "Autumn Leaves." It's the first single from their upcoming album Black Feathers, which is slated for release in 2015. For some reason, we envision this song to be something that you'll find on the soundtrack for the remake of The Lost Boys. Come on - you know that they're going to eventually bastardize that movie too! - The Deli Magazine - Philly

Want to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean? Well you can, since ARTISTdirect has teamed up with Revolution, I Love You to premiere the video for the song "The Atlantic Ocean," which appears on the EP of the same name, out now.

"When I was writing the lyrics for this, I was thinking a lot about the role that our histories play in getting to know someone and getting to trust somebody. Something that played a huge role in someone's childhood might be absolutely terrifying for someone else, and reconciling those things can be a huge part of reconciling differences in the way we look at the world. I think that to really understand someone else, we need to understand the experiences they're nostalgic for. That's what this song ended up being about," Rob Lindgren of R,ILY told us.

With that in mind, enjoy the song and the video. - Artist Direct

Crunchy synth work and loud guitar riffs are central to Revolution, I Love You‘s modern twist on classic rock ‘n roll. - The Key - WXPN

The Atlantic Ocean - One of the Top 25 Singles of the Week - Alternative Tracks

Start your weekend off right by celebrating the release of lo-fi rock/pop duo Revolution, I Love You’s newest EP The Atlantic Ocean. - JUMP Philly

TSI is stoked to give you your first exclusive listen to [The Atlantic Ocean EP]. - Tri State Indie

With their new record The Atlantic Ocean hot off the presses, you find the group channeling a more experimental but less abrasive sound than previous releases, showing off their songwriting maturation. Heavily influenced by “The Replacements, Bruce Springsteen, and Big Star as they are by the electronica and hip-hop artist,” The Atlantic Ocean proves to be the Revolution, I Love You's most accomplished album to date. - The Deli Magazine - Philadelphia

Friday night had a chill in the air but that did not scare away the fans of Revolution, I Love You, an indie duo whose sound is infused with licks of pop and beats of hip-hop and electronica. After three opening bands, R,ILY climbed on stage at the North Star Bar, carefully stepping around the sea of cables and candy-colored gear strategically placed around their feet. Separated by two tables also covered in laptops, sound boards, mixers and synthesizers, Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds took only a moment to hook up their guitars before ripping into the first song of a full set list.

The show, a release for their new single, “A Sounds That Rattles All Our Hearts At Once,” is a preview to prepare for the upcoming drop of their EP, The Atlantic Ocean. The band has been working on the finishing touches for the release but played the live versions with just as much energy out of the recording booth as in. Lindgren swung back and forth, the bandana around his neck barely keeping up with his head. With eyes closed, he melodically sang the lyrics to each song as Reynolds kicked his feet up and jumped with the beat he was pulling from the strings of his guitar.

By the time the two wrapped up their set and the show with it, sweat was welling up on their brows as they bent down to high five and shake the hands of friends and fans alike. Lit by the overhead lights and the glow of a good show, Revolution, I Love You started the weekend off right. - JUMP Philly

Electronic indie rock duo Revolution, I Love You have went on an ambitious journey of mastering, fine tuning, and crowdsourcing their pinnacle EP Atlantic Ocean, which is set to officially drop early next year. The adventures have included them filming a DIY music video, doing their first album in five years to feature guitar solos, launching a Kickstarter campaign for additional album funding, and previewing the album through promising singles like “A Sound That Rattles All Our Hearts At Once.” As the band nears the final stop of the journey, they have much to celebrate, and that’s what they’ll be doing tonight at North Star Bar with a release party for their latest single. And they’ll be joined by friends City Rain, who are getting ready to release a new song of their own, W.C. Lindsay, and Your Ghost. - The Deli Magazine

"It's like the music is full on robot and the shakiness in the vocals is full on human, and the mixture of the two makes one classyass transformer-like dance song." - The Glitter Pox

"[Revolution, I Love You is] set to blow your mind and steal your soul. Another Indie Mag fave." - Indie Mag

Cotton Shirts is an emotive and enthralling love letter that I am not ashamed to say just got added to my playlist. You may want to follow suit. Rate: 5/5 - Vents Magazine

The band’s debut full-length We Choose To Go To The Moon soars with incendiary guitar lines, ubiquitous dance beats, and infectious synth lines. - Bill McThrill - The Deli Magazine - Philadelphia

["Cotton Shirts"] is a drone-y slow jam built off of 808s, snap samples and a single-note piano melody. - Surviving the Golden Age

Philadelphia's Revolution, I Love You give us the sheer joy of their new single "Cotton Shirts," a beautiful summer lo-fi production. (translated from German) - You! Me! Dance! (Germany)

Languid piano & guitar with echoing finger snaps lay the foundation for this dreamy tune from Philly slow-jammers. - The Dadada

"We Choose to Go to the Moon" is a great piece of musical work. - Music That Isn't Bad

The electronic-indie band Revolution, I Love You released their debut full-length album, We Choose To Go To The Moon, this year, but I say that like everyone already knows who they are… Unfortunately, this is not the case, but I guess that’s why you’re seeing them on this list. They may sound like they listened to a decent amount of Postal Service before writing this album, but they set themselves apart with more warm-blooded pop-sensible instrumentals, less emotional lyrics, and fuzzier sounds. It’s damn good. Check it out below. - Music That Isn't Bad

I will admit to being hooked as soon as I heard the opening song of their “We Choose To Go To The Moon” album with its rather catchy and explosive introduction and Elvis Costello-esqe vocals. - Choose My Music (UK)

When you take into account the soulful vocals of Rob Lindgren and that earworm of a synth melody, [Graceful Steps] becomes something truly special. - A Girl Called Sam (UK)

Revolution, I Love You plays a brand of indie/electro-pop led by drum machine dance beats and vocals packed with, “Uh ohs.” It sounds pretty optimistic and they aren’t afraid to dance on stage. - Philadelphia CityPaper

"Nominated for “Indie Electro/Experimental Artist of the Year” 2011" - Tri State Indie

"Every time I set this disc down, I pick it right back up. Revolution, I Love You - short-listed for one of my favorites of 2011!" - The Set List

So last week I had the opportunity to catch up with R,ILY front man Rob Lindgren and chat about their recent album release, We Chose To Go To The Moon.

If you haven’t listened to this album you’re missing out on a pretty unique experience. In just the first few tracks it’s obvious how much Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds have grown together as a band on this album. Lindgren commented, “Jason and I really considered this album our chance to expand on and more fully realize the whole indie rock/dance beats concept of our first EP, Noise. Pop. Deathray. We widened our range to include more ideas from across the pop spectrum” From the Interpol inspired guitar harmonies in “Anxious Smiles” to the manipulated vocal samples and drum polyrhythms influenced by Aphex Twin in “I Won’t Be Still” and “There Is A Light”, R,ILY has created some serious new sounds to be reckoned with.

Last week R,ILY made a radio appearance on Delaware Valley’s Hometown Heroes 93.7 WSTW, and is continuing to get airplay in other areas. Lindgren commented, “We are getting airplay all over the country right now, and sometimes in the strangest places...Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois, Wisconsin. It's just weird to think, for the first time, that my voice is coming out of someone's radio in places that I've never been, and I might not be anytime soon. Or ever. I don't have any plans to visit Wisconsin at the moment, Haha”. If you’re bummed about missing the Hometown Heroes appearance, the guys will be on a New Music Inferno podcast next week. We’ll supply the link, don’t worry.
R,ILY will also be at the Wilmington World Café Live in Delaware on October 7 if you want to get the full live music experience (I recommend it!). Buy tickets HERE. - Indie-Monster

Featured Artist on Reverbnation.com for the week of September 20, 2011 - Reverbnation

Artist of the Month - September 2011 - The Deli Magazine Philadelphia

"Revolution, I Love You is deconstructed pop music...the music of Costello and the Boss and Phil Spector sucked through a rusty filter of industrialized, hipster dance music."

Hometowns create two kinds of people- those who stay and those who leave. The two members of Revolution, I Love You chose to leave their hometown. They chose to leave an area in Delaware that they never considered rural until someone considered it rural for them. That someone is in Philadelphia, which is where the band moved to a little over a year ago.

Philadelphia- surrounded by the wilds of Pennsylvania, the tax-free lifestyle of Delaware and the enigmatic free for all of southern New Jersey, is the kind of city that draws folks in. It brings folks like Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds, the two lone members of Revolution, I Love You- two gentlemen, self-described as bookish, who in their non-rocking hours are peddlers of windows and doors at two area home improvement super stores. For college, one went down to Towson University in Towson, Maryland and one went to University of Delaware- yet neither one finished- opting instead for music. They both agreed that school just wasn't working.

It is just the two of them in Revolution, I Love You. A person would have to have the golden voice of Ronnie Spector to make them even consider expanding their lineup. Revolution, I Love You lives together, up in grumpy old Roxborough, in an apartment that has walls they lined with carpets they bought on sale. Practice is logistically harder in the city, much harder than out in that rural area of Delaware where they came from. Their apartment is their laboratory- not just a place to live. It is merely not only a practice space, but a recording studio. The band is working feverishly on their second album, "We Choose to Go to the Moon," named after a line from a President John F. Kennedy speech, with the hopes of releasing it later this spring. Their first album was "Noise Pop Death Ray"- a phrase that became a descriptor for Revolution, I Love You. It served as an easily accessible answer to every young band's toughest question: what kind of music do you play.

Revolution, I Love You was a phrase made popular in France in 1968, when it was written on city walls, along with other Marxist writings. Lindgren admits, while sitting in a coffee shop with a book of essays on Russian Literature sitting on the table, that he and Reynolds "are kind of bookish." Lindgren's interest in philosophy partially drives his and Reynolds' vision of what they want their band to be. Revolution, I Love You is deconstructed pop music- a breakdown of the music of Costello and the Boss and Phil Spector sucked through a rusty filter of industrialized, hipster dance music. It is dirty purity- sweet, yet not at all simple.

The elements of traditional pop are there- the harmonies and smooth melodies. The songs that Revolution, I Love You write start out simply enough, maybe some guitar and/or piano accompanied by vocals. But then, as Lindgren says with a smile, it gets all messy. It gets destroyed and ravaged with bleeps, squeaks and drones- massaged by programmed drumbeats and fuzzy guitar loops.

"We have a penchant for sound," Lindgren admits.

Reynolds and Lindgren have become scholars of pop music after growing up listening to Iron Maiden, Guns 'n Roses, and progressive rock and according to Lindgren, spend many late nights on the couch, immersed in Jameson-fueled discussions about what it is exactly that makes music good.

Revolution, I Love You isn't natural music. It's not straight from the soul to you music. It's straight from the dome with a sharp left turn through the knobs of electronics, eventually showing up at your doorstep hours later looking beaten up, bruised, confused, and looking for a hug.

How on Earth then, do Revolution, I Love You play a live show without breaking the bank on ringers and any other additional musicians they can find? Their set lists must look like football playbooks.

Lindgren says that Revolution, I Love You will try to build their sets in the same way a DJ would. In short, they are not ones for requests. Each member has a table in front of him. Lindgren's has a loop station and a programmer on it, while Reynolds' has a large keyboard on his. Both of them play guitar and both sing- Lindgren handling lead vocals and Reynolds backing him up.

"It's just us two and programming," Lindgren says.

Whether it's choosing to go to the moon or noise popping a death ray, it's ultimately Revolution, I Love You- a penchant for sound, knobs, and Jameson. It's modern day pop music. The future is here and the walls are carpeted. - Origivation Magazine

Approximately nine months ago, Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds of the band Revolution, I Love You had a huge decision to make. Isaac Gordon, a music manager from Monster Entertainment had contacted them to try and set up a meeting. Gordon worked at WSTW, a radio station in Wilmington, DE, and heard Revolution, I Love You and offered his services to them. The band had not previously had a manager and was uneasy putting their music career in another's hands.

"We'd always done everything ourselves and I didn't like the idea of having a manager,'" Lindgren says.

Since the band's first show in Wilmington in March of 2009, Revolution, I Love You has taken some major steps in the music industry. Currently, the pair is working on a new album.

After meeting with Gordon, the two changed their minds and hired him as a manager. Although Lindgren continues to do most of the booking and press, the band feels having a manager has helped them.

"He's become a really good friend," Lindgren says. "He's like having a third pair of hands for the business end of things, plus, he thinks about things from a very different point of view. It definitely helps."

Gordon was the first person to explain how it was possible to be successful independently, without signing to a label. He helped lay out a plan for R, ILY, and Lindgren and Reynolds were able to work on their new album.

The pair started recording their new album, We Choose to Go to The Moon, in Lindgren's parents' basement&-the place the band was born&-but the space was too small. Soon they made a move to Philadelphia together. They cut back on shows to make more time to record, but the process is taking longer than the two had hoped, Reynolds says.

Most of the album was already written, so it was just a matter of recording. But, the band agrees, writing is a joint process and some changes are needed along the way.

"He'll write stuff on his own, me on my own, and some together," Reynolds says. "It's all over the map, so each song goes a little different."

But each member has an equal hand in the creation of their songs.

"But nothing is completed without the other person getting his grubby little hands on it," Lindgren jokes.

Since Revolution, I Love You first debuted, their music has evolved. Their first album, Noise. Pop. Deathray. had a more cynical, emotionally distant feel to it, Lindgren says, while the new album, We Choose to Go to the Moon, is a bigger, more dramatic record.

"I would say our style now is indie rock with electronic elements, dance-y with a dash of 90's," Reynolds says.

Because Noise. Pop. Deathray. had only six tracks, the band was forced to write more music earlier, so they'd be able to play full sets. They say the new album will have either nine or 10 tracks, including the songs "Can't Do This On My Own" and "Waterfalls." The latter of the two is a song about an experience Lindgren had in Philadelphia.

"I drank too much when we were out in Philly, and left him stuck on the side of the road while I got hauled off to jail at Arch and Race," Lindgren says.

Both agree it is their favorite song, since it's about forgiveness.

The album title, however, comes with an entirely different mixture of emotions. Lindgren took "We Choose to Go to the Moon" from the famous John F. Kennedy speech, in which the president promised to make it to the moon by the end of the decade.

"People are pretty cynical about it now, but in the ‘60s space travel was an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping human achievement, to be naively excited about," Lindgren says. "I think that's where the idea came from, because we wanted the new record to have that sense of naive excitement."

This was not always the album title, however. Reynolds wanted to call it "Pow," before Lindgren came up with his inspirational title.

"I figured it would have an impact," he says. "And I loved Adam West era Batman."

It's this joking, excitable nature that inspires R, ILY's fans during their shows.

Sophomore Stephanie Gomez, a Revolution, I Love You fan, feels the band's new music style is motivating.

"I really liked their old stuff, but when I saw them perform a couple months ago I could see something new," Gomez says. "It wasn't just the music; it was a whole new outlook."

Gomez says she enjoys the new songs they played and can't wait to buy the new album once it's released this winter.

"It feels good when the songs that you like the most and are the most recent are the ones people are responding to as well," Reynolds says.

Lindgren and Reynolds both hope their audiences leave Revolution, I Love You's shows with smiles on their faces. They say watching people enjoy their music is the best part of being in a band.

"Music isn't just what we'd like to do for the rest of our lives, it's what we're going to do," Lindgren says. - The Review

Jason Reynolds and Rob Lindgren, a duo called Revolution, I Love You, refer to their music as “equal parts drum machines and Fender jangle, fuzz bass and piano.” And dang, if they’re not absolutely right! This music may be relatively indescribable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not also mighty fine. Noise. Pop. Deathray. is comprised of only six tracks, yet each one is entirely different from the rest. Revolution, I Love You’s overall affect might just restore your faith in rock & roll.

With its dance music-inspired percussion and alternative rock guitars, “My Baby’s Gonna Save the World, What’s Your Baby Gonna Do?” simply burns with raw emotionalism. It is followed by the verbosely titled “Open Letter to The President of the United States”, which — while not exactly the sort of correspondence our head of state most likely reads — roars with punk power and just a touch of reggae dub. It also incorporates a weedy synthesizer part that weaves in and out of the mix at just the right moments. Toward the end of the track, there’s even a great hand clap rhythm. The very next song, “And She Said it with a Straight Face”, includes music hall piano for an entirely unexpected –- but welcome — feel. As you can plainly see, this disc is one rock & roll variety show.

Love and revolution are usually mutually exclusive terms: anyone who falls in love with a political revolution oftentimes has misplaced affections. Nevertheless, it’s easy to get all mushy when listening to this pair of musical revolutionaries. The only criticism to be leveled at Revolution, I Love You –- and it’s a minuscule one at best — is that six songs are not nearly enough. With Revolution, I Love You, let’s all pray for rock & roll world domination.


This indie music review was written by Dan MacIntosh.

Dan is a professional music journalist, and indie CD reviewer for AudioXposure, with credits including CCM, CMJ, and Spin.com.

Link to original: http://audioxposure.com/features/indie-music-reviews/revolution-i-love-you-noise-pop-deathray/
- AudioXposure.com

Featured on the front page of Sonicbids.com from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15. - Sonicbids.com

FEATURED ON COVER

Best Breakout Band: Revolution, I Love You

The Band: Rob Lindgren, guitar and vocals; Jason Reynolds, guitar, piano and keys, vocals.

Congratulations on winning the 2009 Delaware Music Award for Best Breakout Band. "We spent a whole lot of time holed up in the basement, working on [the album] 'Noise. Pop. Deathray.' We were really excited with it when it was done, but we were also really nervous about how it would be received. So it's nice to know we don't have to be nervous anymore." -- Jason

Where does this award rank on the list of your life's achievements? "To be honest, we've been trying to get into Spark since we were 17, so we're pumped. Strike one off the list." -- Rob

Where will you put the trophy? "I think the trophy is going to rotate back and forth between our parents' houses until we move out into the collective band house, where it will probably sit pretty on the bookshelf for a while." -- Jason

Who will get the trophy first? Will it be passed around like the Stanley Cup? "Rob's parents will get it first, since they put up with us practicing." -- Jason

What's next for you guys? "First, we are going to start taking donations of canned goods in exchange for a discount on CDs, T-shirts and the like. We also want to get more involved with some of the small, DIY venues in the area like The Spot in Wilmington and The Brutal Pad in Middletown. The Spot, especially, is everything we love a venue to be: they do shows, art galleries and food drives. Places like that have the potential to be really important and meaningful. And, of course, we want to wrap up a new EP by the end of the year. Half of our live material is new anyway, so it's largely a matter of making time to record." -- Rob

OK, so outside of the festival, where can we hear some of that new music? "We'll be playing The Lizard Lounge at The Chameleon Club in Lancaster on April 17 and the LAUNCH Music Conference at Marion Court in Lancaster on April 18. Locally, we'll be playing the Premier Center for the Arts in Middletown on April 19." -- Rob

http://delaware.metromix.com/music/photogallery/and-the-2009-dmas/1085632/content - Spark Weekly

Delaware Music Festival 2009

Revolution, I Love You

Hometown: Middletown

Day & Time: Friday at 8:20 p.m.

Venue: Rusty Rudder Stage D

Genre: Electro/Indie Rock

Myspace.com/revolutioniloveyou

Who's who: Rob Lindgren, vocals and guitar; Jason Reynolds, vocals, guitar and piano.

What's in a name? "The name goes back to France in 1968. There was a general uprising where students took over campuses, and young workers took over factories. They scribbled these brilliant one-liners all over the walls, about Marxism, art, and the uprising itself. One of those scribbles was 'Revolution, I Love You.'" -- Rob

If we only had two minutes to listen to a song on your MySpace page, which song would you recommend? "Take a listen to 'My Baby's Gonna Save the World, What's Your Baby Gonna Do?' first. It has these passionate, interweaving guitar and piano lines set against a chunky, programmed beat. It's great." -- Jason
"And there are only three words in the whole song: 'You go, babe.'" -- Rob

Music means: "Compulsion. Necessity. It's not always something I want to do, or feel like doing, but I'm impelled to do it. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I could do something more productive with my life; be a doctor, or work with a non-profit. But, you know, art is a gift that you give the world. -- Rob

Steak or fish? "Tuna, straight out of the can." -- Rob

What you'd like to hear the audience yell out someday: "The beer's in the fridge, you can sleep on the couch." -- Jason

Thoughts on the Delaware Music Festival: "We played the festival a few years ago, but with a different band. All I remember is that it was crowded and loud and everyone else had a beer, but none of us were 21 yet. The Rudder is such a cool venue, and so many people come out for this show, that it's hard not to be really excited."-- Rob

http://delaware.metromix.com/music/photogallery/delaware-music-festival-2009/1067595/content - Spark Weekly

From dance rock to jam jazz, fresh voices abound

By Rob Kunzig  rkunzig@capegazette.com

As American Buffalo sound- checked its microphones and cranked its amps, everyone standing on the deck of the Rusty Rudder exchanged a look that said: this is going to be loud. Then the Newark quartet crunched into their first number, strutting across the stage and howling into the mike like men on fire.

Welcome to the Delaware Music Festi-val, a rock extravaganza that shook Dewey Beach Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4.?  Featuring 32 bands across four stages, the festival has inaugurated the Rusty Rudder’s summer season since 2003.

While local favorites draw a dependable crowd – Love Seed Mama Jump plays high- powered cover songs every Thurs-day, while lower case blues delivers fuzzy blues that owe more to Hendrix than B. B.?  King – the festival, sponsored by Spark Magazine, showcases new, unexpected talent, often left- of- center and challeng-ing.

Revolution, I Love You is Middletown natives Rob Lindgren, Jason Reynolds and an iBook. Lindgren fronts the duo, his lilt-ing voice contrasting with the jangle and fuzz of his fender. Tall and lank, Lindgren took the stage Friday night and clung to the mike like a crooner while bandmate Jason Reynolds shuffled from keyboard to bass to guitar, adding layer upon layer to the band’s wall of noise.

The iBook, perched atop an antique bedstand, pumped the band’s electro- dance beat through the amps. After Revolu-tion’s set, Lindgren noted major-label bands like Franz Ferdinand were now lacing their tracks with synthetic beats.

Mad Sweet Pangs, a Newark band gracing an outdoor stage Saturday evening, was a wel-come break from the high-strung, nervous energy of other acts.

Relaxed and self- assured, MSP moved through a set of jazzy, soulful jams with unhurried grace. Bassist Dustin Frolich wore a knit cap with Ray Charles sunglasses and slouched even when standing; his digressions with guitarist Gordon Lippincott could go on for three minutes, the two playing off each other’s riffs before rendezvousing with the song without missing a beat.

Of all the bands playing origi-nal music, American Buffalo de-livered the most kinetic set.?  Spark Magazine labeled the group the “ Next Big Thing,” and it isn’t hard to see why – the band’s explosive energy com-pelled even wallflowers to stomp a foot. While anyone can scream and jump around, American Buf-falo’s songs are barbed with intri-cate melody. Zachary Thomas’ howl is bone- rattling not because of its decibels, but rather its haunting, southern- gothic tinge of doom and foreboding. The two tracks showcased on the band’s MySpace page reveal the band’s languorous, psychedelic side. Their forthcoming album “ Western Approaches” is bound to draw comparisons to My Morning Jacket, a critically­laud-ed alt- rock outfit that channels the same haunted southern vibe.

While Dewey Beach is known more for its cover bands than original acts, the Delaware Music Festival is proof positive that vigorous, independent artists are hard at work in the state, and un-afraid to strut their tunes in front of Love Seed’s barn- burning ren-dition of “ Radar Love.”
- The Cape Gazette: Lewes, DE

Revolution, I Love You
Published: September 2009
Story: Jeff Royer
Photo: press photo

There are pros and cons to having a computer as a bandmate. He rarely comes up with song ideas, and almost never pitches in for pizza. On the other hand, he doesn’t drink the band beer, and if he ever gives you any attitude, you can unplug him.

No one has learned these lessons as well as Jason Reynolds and Rob Lindgren of Revolution, I Love You, an indie rock-dance-pop band from Middletown, Delaware, whose third member always seems to view the world in ones and zeros.

“It sucks, because the laptop doesn’t go to the diner with you after the show. It’s not much fun,” says Reynolds.

“On the other hand, breakfast is a lot cheaper,” Lindgren offers.

The laptop is in some ways Revolution, I Love You’s defining element, providing the fat-bottomed beats and buzzing bass that turns Reynolds and Lindgren’s eerie Brit-pop into something fiercely fun. Stripped of the ornamentation, the songs might come across as gloomy, if not downright creepy, with Lindgren moaning and crooning in half-time over droning keys and dark guitar lines soggy with reverb. But those chirpy, choppy beats wring out the melodrama and replace it with a winking dare to dance. In the words of Black Eyed Peas, Revolution, I Love You are not afraid to get retarded when necessary.

The band captured this dichotomy on its debut EP, noise. pop. deathray., released last year to rave reviews that drew comparisons to modern-day buzz bands like Menomena, Ratatat and other groups that, frankly, RILY had never heard of prior to recording the album. “I listen to a lot of Bright Eyes and Rob listens to a lot of The Smiths,” Reynolds shrugs, adding Squarepusher and Aphex Twin as electronica influences.

“When we first started writing the album, we wanted to make something expansive and strange, but we kept coming up with these quirky little pop songs,” Lindgren says. “So the goal became to make these pop songs work with our propensity for abrasive noise and weird arrangements.”

Lindgren and Reynolds have been playing in bands together since high school, but it wasn’t until they were in college that one of their projects finally started to take off. So they both quit school to pursue it on a full-time basis – just in time to watch all of their bandmates quit. It was around that time that Reynolds wrote a song called “Can I Get the Door for You?” that would lay the foundation for Revolution, I Love You’s ass-shaking future.

Reynolds recalls, “At some point, I said the now infamous words: ‘Why don’t you try putting a beat under that?’”

“I entirely misunderstood him,” Lindgren says. “Apparently, he wasn’t thinking of ’90s house when he said ‘beat,’ but that’s what he got.”

The success of that song was the impetus for RILY’s sound to-date; the dance odyssey had begun.

So they can talk the talk on the dancefloor, but can they walk the walk?

“I do the Lawnmower,” Reynolds deadpans.
“And I’m working on the Carlton,” Lindgren says. “But seriously, I wouldn’t brag, but I don’t think either of us would get kicked out of the club, either.” - Fly Magazine

Author: Michael Pollock

Delaware’s most promising electronic rockers head north

On the long roads somewhere off the St. Georges exit from 95 South, the sun was fading and the sky had the gray look of winter chill to it. On either side were stables and wide-open spaces occupied by big, comfortable houses, with blankets of fresh-fallen snow whiting out the landscape. It didn’t seem the appropriate setting to be meeting the gadget-laced electronic-rock duo Revolution, I Love You—this was the stuff of campfires and acoustic guitars, not drum machines and ProTools. As it turned out, it wasn’t the appropriate setting at all. I was lost.

Eventually, I made my way to a house in Townsend—or Middletown; the towns blur together—where 25-year-olds Rob Lindgren and Jason (Jay) Reynolds, Middletown High grads and the members of Revolution, I Love You, have a makeshift studio in Lindgren’s parents’ basement. The space here made more sense: instruments both traditional and improvised (a trash can as drum set); Reynolds’ re-upholstered amp next to an old piano; a couple of computers; a rack filled with CDs and VHS movies; cartons of soda; some alcohol; shelving units and furniture.

The set-up is temporary. Lindgren and Reynolds are in the process of relocating to the Roxborough neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia to begin the second level of their career. “That’s been the plan for the last year and a half,” Lindgren says on the phone in early January, a few days before we meet up. “We hope that by the end of next year, we feel comfortable and we’re really situated in Philly and people know who we are. It’s the next stepping stone before going to somewhere like New York, where it’s far more serious and competitive.”

Reynolds says, “It’s an interesting and experimental place. There’s a scene up there, as far as house shows, that makes it more of a personal preference for us.”

Lindgren puts it this way: “I had a really encouraging conversation with one of the guys from American Buffalo”—last year’s O&A Musikarmageddon winner—“when he came out to our show at Home Grown. He said, ‘You can’t just go up there and play some straight-up rock ’n’ roll. Nobody gets down with it. Nobody’s into it. They want some weird electro s—t.’ I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Oh. Sounds good for us.’”

As Revolution, I Love You, Lindgren and Reynolds have brought something fresh and exciting to the local-music scene. The band’s name comes from a piece of graffiti written during the French Revolution of 1968, and the idea of an international exchange—American rock with European rhythm—is never too far behind. (For proof, see the band’s vivid cover of the Cure’s “Lullaby,” or the song “The Prettiest Feather, or the Straightest Quill?”) Lindgren is the group’s lead singer. Reynolds plays keyboards. They both play guitars, make beats, write lyrics, come up with song titles, and, in a live setting, man a loop station—a system of synced guitar pedals that allows users to grab phrases, make them repeat, and layer other phrases on top of them. “Jay has a delay pedal that does it, and I have a dedicated pedal for it,” Lindgren says, “so between the two of them, we’re able to get that thing tapping into this f—ked-up wall of sound.” Things bounce off each other in a way that feels intentional, but the elements don’t necessarily belong together. If you were to add a string player to the mix, or a trumpeter, or an opera singer, well, that would be fine, too. The party’s big enough for everyone.

“I think of it as, ‘We write pop songs,’” Lindgren says. “But the arrangements are a little odd. We mangle them a little bit. We put weird IDM beats under them. We give them noisy guitar parts. We take something that would otherwise be catchy and fun and make it mildly unlistenable.”

In early 2009, RILY (also R,ILY, for grammar’s sake) released an EP, Noise. Pop. Deathray. (which includes “Lullaby” and “The Prettiest Feather”), then began hitting the live circuit, bringing with them the sense of adventure they apply to their music. One show last July at Kelly’s Logan House saw them setting up the stage—by no means a large space—with the resourceful imagination belonging to community-theater groups and college freshmen. Realizing, perhaps, that people playing machines isn’t everyone’s idea of a performance, Lindgren and Reynolds upped the fun factor, incorporating items onstage you might find at a yard sale: a table and tablecloth that have seen better days, a lamp, some flowers.

“We used to talk a lot in college about what it means to make music, and why,” Lindgren says one day in the basement before the band’s move to Philly. (Lindgren was a cultural-studies major at Towson. Reynolds studied history at UD. Neither graduated, although Reynolds has plans to finish eventually.) “There was a need to do more than just say, ‘We love these bands. Let’s make music that sounds like them.’ There was a post-modern-play thing happening, like a mish-mas - Out and About Magazine

On noise. pop. deathray., vocalist/guitarist Rob Lindgren belts out words in an oddly sultry manner - sometimes softly lamenting ("Can I Get the Door for You?"), sometimes angrily disappointed ("Open Letter to the President of the United States of America"), and sometimes aggressively sexy ("Lullaby") - while supported by trippy electric beats, fuzzy reverb, and cabaret-style indie-pop. It's a delightful hodgepodge that this Delaware-based duo should be proud of.

Written by: Annamarya Scaccia, Editor of ORIGIVATION MAGAZINE

Link to original: http://origivation.com/issues/origiVation_2009.02.pdf (on page 36) - Origivation Magazine - Philadelphia, PA

Written by Mike Pollock

“Can I Get the Door for You?”

Rob Lindgren, vocals and guitar: “This is the first song we ever recorded that sounded anything like the music we make now. I got a little carried way with the whole thing, putting fuzz bass and a house beat under it, and I re-recorded all the vocals falsetto. When I showed Jason [Reynolds, piano and guitar, pictured above at left] what I’d done, I was terrified. But his reaction was more like, ‘We need to do more stuff like this.’”


“My Baby’s Gonna Save the World, What’s Your Baby Gonna Do?”

RL: “The title is actually longer than the lyrics. There’s only three words in the whole song, which I think is interesting, because in most music the meaning comes from the content of the words. But in this case, the meaning is produced in a way much closer to a meaningfully captioned photograph.”


“Open Letter to the President of the United States of America”

RL: “I actually wrote ‘Open Letter’ for a previous band both of us were in. We played it live a few times, but it was never recorded. I was initially very happy with the lyrics, but they were written so long ago that they hardly resonate now.”


“…And She Said It with a Straight Face”

RL: “This went through the same
process as ‘Can I Get the Door for You?’ Jason wrote a country song on guitar, and then I screwed it all up. The chords and Johnny Cash bassline stayed the same, but once we added the mock-reggaeton beat, the song took off to an entirely different place.”


“Lullaby”

RL: “This is a cover of one of my absolute favorite Cure songs. We added 50 bpm and a West Coast hip-hop synth. I’m really proud that we managed to maintain a certain sense of the original mood, despite the drastic tempo change. We sped it up so much I actually had to cut a couple words to make it all fit.”


“The Prettiest Feather, or the Straightest Quill?”

RL: “On paper, what we do sounds a lot like what many other bands are doing right now, the indie-rock-and-dance-beats thing, but I think this song really highlights what sets us apart. There are no four-to-the-floor disco beats, and nothing reminiscent of New Order or Joy Division or Kraftwerk. Instead, there are distorted jazz samples and a short Aphex Twin break. The main riff is in alternating time signatures. There’s no chorus, just two verses surrounded by instrumental sections.
“A lot of songwriters say they don’t like to box themselves in, that they let their songs go wherever they need to go to work best. We think of it the same way, only our songs like to go to slightly stranger places.”

Link to original: http://out-and-about.com/Default.aspx?DN=4f7e0d60-c64c-4889-b323-b596cdbb43f4 - Out & About Magazine - Wilmington, DE