AMG Review of Revelation Skirts

Tim Sendra
All Music Guide

Dean Wells had been running the Capstan Shafts as a one-man band for over a decade by the time of 2010’s Revelation Skirts. Running it into the ground if the previous album Fixation Protocols was any indication. Many of the elements of what made earlier Shafts records so good were still there (Wells’ vocals, his obscure but heartfelt lyrics and the short, catchy songs that sound like Guided by Voices A-sides), but the overall feeling was of a project that had run its course and felt forced and tired. To bring some new direction and focus on Revelation Skirts, Wells brought in a collaborator for the first time. Matt LeMay of Get Him Eat Him (and the author of two glowing reviews of previous Capstan Shafts albums) joined up with Wells to play drums, bass, organ and guitar as well as producing. Unlike earlier lo-fi efforts that sounded like they could have been released on Homestead records in the late 80s, this album has a big, rich sound that makes the Shafts sound could have been signed to Geffen or DGC in the mid-90s. Fans of that earlier sound may come away feeling let down but the album sports a handful of songs that would make good mixtape selections and overall ends up being a pretty good 90’s influenced, modern rock album.