Music Review: The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs

Staying true to their word, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians are creating a following of rock music purists who aren't afraid to borrow from the past and re-assemble the present.

Like a faithful architectural expedition, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians have dug up the styles and traditions of rock music's past, thrown it all together, and created something refreshing and unique in a time of cliched, over-extended rock music. Unlike Oasis, The Verve, and Blur--who all play a role in developing the Davidians "britrock" sound--The Stevenson Ranch Davidians actually sound like something worthwhile, as if rock music's tumultuous past can actually come together in a beautiful way.

Although the band's latest, Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs, has been around for a while now, the band is starting to get some serious buzz. And for good reason; the music on this album is well-crafted and beautifully executed.

Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs kicks off with the airy dreampop of "Let It All Go," and singer Dwayne Seagraves urges us to "go on, and let it go," a spiritual theme urging listeners to an existentialist path to enlightenment that will "save your poor soul." Musically, "Let It All Go" sets the tone for the rest of the album, and it's a style reminiscent of '90's britrock musicians Oasis with equal parts Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd.

The album continues in that vein, with tracks like "Getting By," "In Between Everything," and "What A Wonderful World" displaying a musically mature band that is self-aware of the power of music to move us spiritually and philosophically. Although the band is not afraid to play in a minor key, the music isn't depressing or self-deprecating like so many other rock bands out there; instead, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians try to tell stories of love and spiritual longing. For example, in "Subliminalover," Seagraves sings "I never wanted anything / anything but you / When I saw you on the television screen / I wanted to jump right through to you," suggesting a blurring of reality with a desire to be with someone worth loving.

Article Author: Kevin Eagan

Kevin Eagan is a Blogcritics Books Editor and (occasional) freelance writer based in the Greater St. Louis, MO area. He also writes at There There Kid, a blog that focuses on literature, culture, and music.

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