Burn's and King's stated goal for the album was to record more "pop" songs, but construct them in a way that still sounds like Kaki King music. And there are some overtly poppy tunes on Revenge, which may not please some of her older fans. Lead single "Pull Me Out Alive" showcases King's soft, airy vocals, which fit this indie-pop song just fine. With palm-muted guitar chords and ringing melodies, along with verse-chorus vocals, it's probably the most conventional pop song she's ever written. The instrumental that follows, "Montreal," is a bouncier slice of guitar-based indie-pop. It starts out with quiet hammer-on riffs on her electric guitar, then bass & drums come in amidst more layers of airy, reverb-aided electric and steel guitar.
"So Much For So Little" is a bit of a bore at first, then gets interesting well into the song. "Air And Kilometers" is another highlight, with its odd tempo and layered electric, lap steel and acoustic guitars. At its climax, the track is romantic, dreamy and spacious, with strings that have an almost baroque arrangement, and features other soundscapes that float in and out of hearing space. The hypnotic "Open Mouth" has King using her detuned acoustic as a percussive instrument, then playing along to some well-orchestrated strings. Her country-esque pedal steel guitar licks on "Life Being What It Is" are catchy as well, though the lyrics leave much to be desired.
Other highlights include the first and last songs on the album, "Bone Chaos In The Castle," and "2 O'Clock," respectively. Both have many elements of her trademark guitar techniques, but "2 O'Clock" is the true centerpiece of the album, lyrically and musically. As she, an open lesbian told the music blog Stereogum recently, it's an emotional break-up song, with lyrics coming from the perspective of her ex-girlfriend. King takes the blame for what went wrong, and you can hear the sadness in her voice as she sings the last lyrics to this epic song, where her voice sort of starts to crack. But the best part of this epic track is the emotional fury of her acoustic riffs; she speeds up and down the guitar neck, slaps those power chords, creates some dissonance, builds and releases a lot of tension, all with some chaotic drumming to match. It's quite a journey listening to this song, and one worth repeating many times.
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