Federale - Reverb & Seduction (Jealous Butcher Records)

It always pays to remember where you come from, and you can still hear the echo of Federale’s formative sonic days worn proudly on the sleeve of their latest album Reverb & Seduction. In fact, you can hear not just their early spaghetti-western cinematic sound but a whole series of sonic touchstones and alternative reference points that have been the guiding forces of their evolution as a band. I guess that you could say that about most bands; it’s just that Federal has been to places, sonically speaking, that many bands wouldn’t fear to tread.

Reverb & Seduction is, therefore, more than just a collection of great songs; it is a family tree of sounds, the story of the band’s musical exploits summed up, an auditory-auto-biography, and much more.

The first thing that you encounter, right from the opening strains of “Advice From A Stranger,” is Collin Hegna’s rich baritone, a lush and luxurious soundscape in itself, and here surrounded by the sort of post-punk tones and textures that shimmered through the music of The Church or brooded through The Mission’s hallowed harmonies.

“I’ll Never Forget” breezes delicately through on a lilting waltz groove, and “Hope You Don’t Haunt Me” has more than a touch of Ennio Morricone’s bruised sonic sense of romance and lawlessness. “No Strangers” leans into 60’s chamber pop, all shimmering elegance and cinematic elegance, and “The Worst Thing I Ever Did Was Ever Loving You” is a piece of swirling, alt-country meets seductive psychedelia, a collaboration with Jenny Dont that recalls the gorgeous duets of Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra.

As a record that marks the band’s twentieth anniversary, they could hardly have marked such an important date’s passing in a finer style. As an album that sums up the band’s sonic DNA, this speaks volumes.

Reverb & Seduction album order
Bandcamp
Spotify
Apple Music
Advice From a Stranger video