Album Review – Restavrant’s “Yeah, I Carve Cheetahs”
No, there’s not typos in that title.
I once had a friend who named his dog “Brad”. When I asked him why the name “Brad”, he told me because it was the last possible name anyone would ever give a dog. I don’t know if that is the methodology behind the deep blues band Restavrant, or the title of their latest album, Yeah, I Carve Cheetahs, with it’s conversative, almost plaintive tone. But just like Smuckers jelly, don’t worry about the funny name, just shut up and enjoy. And once you experience the wanton, undefinable, and downright violent approach of this band, you will agree only weirdness would serve to define them.
The Restavrant experience goes something like this:
- Push play.
- Get your face melted square off your head.
What to call this music? Hell I don’t know. Rootsy garage punk swampy blues rock country…or something. In fact don’t even worry about that crap, just listen to the music. I’ll start off with a word of caution though. I have many positive things to say about this album. One of them is not it’s accessibility. There is nothing mainstream here. What Restravant serves is the manna, the core, the meat of what exists in the “deep blues” underground roots movement that generally blends north Mississippi Hill Country blues with a punk attitude. Nobody may embody this approach with as much abandon as Restavrant. This album is really for the “core” of that fandom, but even from the outside looking in, with a open mind and a true appreciation for music of any kind, you too can be infected by the groove and energy that Restavrant brings.
This music comes at you like some crazy berserker dude kicking and swinging nun chucks, or a rooster with razor blades tied to its talons flying at your head. You may not exactly know what’s going on at first, but it certainly will get your heart pumping. Restavrant doesn’t play music for you, they beat you over the head with it. A two piece setup of screaming wierdo dudes originally from Victoria, TX, one armed with a gut-bending guitar and slide, and the other with common truck stop parking lot refuse that he wails on to create audible percussive-like noises. I’m pretty sure their form of expression is considered assault in certain countries. But for those with the right ear and disposition, it hurts so good.
Restavrant strips it all back. All of it. The guitar work, singing, and lyrics have their moments of impressive flourishes, but they’re careful to not be too good, because with this music, it would take away from the experience as a whole. What is important is the energy and groove. This isn’t music you hear, this is music you feel. They rhythms and groove are infectious enough to call tantric. Restavrant’s music works like a cluster of concentric circles, where it comes around and around, and the tension and resolution and anticipation create a dizzying, whirlwind, whirling dervish trance-like effect with the purpose of making the human Will submit to the rhythm and message.
With songs like “Yeah, I Guess”, my personal favorite “Bev D.”, and the epic “Watch Me Drive” with it’s great message, it is hard to not submit to what Troy Murrah and Bev. D of Restavrant are throwing down, however silly it makes you feel or act as you bang your head listening in rush hour traffic, or bounce up and down in your living when nobody’s watching.
One concern I have is that since Restavrant is such a visceral experience, the song’s effectiveness depends a lot on your personal experiences, so some of the songs could be like a joke you don’t get, even when you do get the band in general. My favs from this album may be completely different from someone else’s. And I know this music is supposed to come across as dirty and distorted, but I really feel like just slightly more attention to the production quality, clarifying some of the sounds, making the bass more thumping may elevate the Restavrant experience that much more.
But aside from a few very minor squabbles I have with it, simply put, Restavrant’s Yeah, I Carve Cheetahs is the most viscerally-engaging album I have heard in a long time. So yeah, I think you should get it. Just hide all your breakable shit before you cue it up.
1 3/4 of 2 guns up.
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The Triggerman
January 11, 2012 @ 2:27 pm
Probably nobody will care about this but me, but after listening to this album for a month, and after I had this review 90% done, I realized that back in November of 2009, a band I was touring with played a show with these guys at a Neil Yong-themed benefit in Los Angeles thrown by whenyouawake.com. Restavrant stole the show.
bumhead
January 11, 2012 @ 3:16 pm
I’ve been waiting for this. “Returns to the Tomb…” was a fantastic album. Then I heard/saw them doing ‘Yeah I Carve Cheetahs’ on Youtube and it was just incredible, no sophmore slump for these guys. They’ve got something that just reaches down into your gut and touches off a primal nerve.
Thanks for the review, Triggerman.
Cowboy22
January 11, 2012 @ 3:50 pm
I’m surprised but shouldn’t be for I did learn long ago not to judge by outward appearances. I listened and now can’t get the sound put of my head–Help me.
Really good review but you do that often.
joe-joe
January 11, 2012 @ 3:51 pm
After listening to the first sample on Amazon, I instantly thought of Hillstomp from here in Portland. Sounds like a great show put on by Restavrant, and definitly an album worth picking up. Thanks for all of your work.
Muller
January 12, 2012 @ 12:31 pm
Definitely a similarity! Especially in the live show department. They are coming through Portland soon and I promise you will not leave disappointed!
Jessica Lilly
January 15, 2012 @ 3:37 pm
They will be playing in Portland next Sunday at the Hawthorne Theater. They are a must see live!
ConfederateGold
January 11, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
that slide rips, good shit
doombuggy
January 11, 2012 @ 6:57 pm
Wow, man. That is some pretty awesome rawness. Gotta get some of that.
bates
January 11, 2012 @ 9:51 pm
Hell yeah! That’s my kind of shit! Thanks again for the Badass heads up Triggerman.
Jeb
January 12, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
Those drums sound like trash.. oh wait. Good stuff.
Honest Charlie's Productions
January 13, 2012 @ 9:11 am
I like it man.. Thanks for the heads up on these guys!
Kyle
January 13, 2012 @ 4:32 pm
Man, I’ve been flying the Restavrant flag for a while. Never thought I’d see them pop up on SCM. These guys deserve all the recognition they receive, and it seems like they’ve been getting a fair share of it with the release of “Yeah, I Carve Cheetahs.” I suppose it’s only natural … this is the kind of visceral, infectious music that gets under your skin. Once you hear it for the first time, it’s in ya.
Carla
January 18, 2012 @ 3:02 pm
Got that really nice lo-fi Jo Buck thing going on. I like it!