The United Sons of Toil “When the Revolution Comes, Everything Will be Beautiful” CD/LP

"When the Revolution Comes, Everything Will be Beautiful" is the latest full-length outing from Wisconsin trio The United Sons of Toil (released by Phratry Records and Sacred Plague Records), offering up nine tracks in 42 minutes, self-described as "precision Midwestern noise rock delivered by populist theoreticians". Citing their musical influences as relating to the Touch and Go, AmRep, and Dischord rosters, the band employs a style that utilizes a lot of spacious arrangements that combine quirky, angular riffing, surging rhythms, and roving basslines. They'll start to lean towards some dissonant textures or abrasive noise here and there, but such elements are also balanced out by an emo-ish sense of loose, rugged melody—which carries with it a somber edge that I really like. Also effective is the dual-vocal approach, combining gruff shouts and midrange yelling with whispered/spoken passages for a pretty wide assortment of deliveries throughout. Simply tagging their efforts "noise rock" is a bit limiting for what they truly offer, which is actually much more diverse and exciting than its roots might imply.

The lyrics themselves are generally fairly open, but the detailed liner notes further outline the super political messages inspiring the band's output (as evidenced by song titles like "Alcoholism in the Former Soviet Republics", "Overturning the Rumford Fair Housing Act", "The Concept of the Urban Guerrilla", and so on), complete with lists of references for each song's topic, etc. To be completely honest with you most of this stuff is way over my head, but I certainly admire their intellect and dedication, and their performances still carry a sense of honest emotion that should work for listeners like myself who are not particularly interested in heavy duty political matters. They're working with a really dry, natural recording that's great for this style, too. And since they're a trio there's plenty of breathing room in the mix that allows each instrument to play a prominent role. Good stuff. Stream the entire album below:

The vinyl is limited to 300 copies (all on colored vinyl) and includes a "12-page booklet with expanded liner notes, full lyrics, essays, foot-noted documentation, band-member profiles, and manifesto", but it's nearly sold out, so act fast. It's also available via Bandcamp as a name-your-price download, so you can't lose there!

Get It

Bandcamp (CD/LP/mp3)
Phratry Records (CD/LP)
Sacred Plague Records (LP)