Rearview Mirror
Gobstopper
Iowa's Rearview Mirror is a classic-sounding guitar band which plays big anguished songs that instantly conjure an image of adolescent lads from the heartland with long hair and anguished facial expressions. Which is just what they are. They're babies, actually, still in their late teens. RVM was the discovery of acclaimed producer Steve Lillywhite (Morrissey, The Pogues, Psychedelic Furs, U2, XTC), who found the quartet on an internet mailing list (of all places), flew to La Crosse, WI to check out their live show, and was instantly blown away by the band's combination of charisma and chops. Right away Lillywhite made them his first signing on his Palm imprint Gobstopper, and since then the RVM word has steadily spread throughout America.
RVM doesn't do anything radical, they simply channel the zeitgeist of adolescent boy anguish in a simple, effective, and powerful manner. Working in the tradition of dark and heavy alterna-rock acts like Pearl Jam, Tool, and Helmet, the band churns out compact, well-produced powerhouse tunes built on a rock-solid foundation of straight-ahead midtempo rhythms and razor-edged guitars. Vocalist Adam Ptacek's bottomless angst serves as a perfect mouthpiece for the band's pessimistic rock populism. RVM's 2002 debut album is entitled All Lights Off.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
09/05/02
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