A fun rock, big band and funk patois

It‰’s gonna be a little tough to come up with the “RIYL‰” for New Orleans septet because they sound very similar and very unique at the same time. The group gets originality points for adding big band instrumentation and funky (think the white, late 90s/early 00s RHCP version of “funky‰Û) undertones, but the vocals and some of the songwriting is kind of lame in a top-40, Imagine Dragons sort of way. City of Sounds manages to succeed, though, by adding in some interesting electronic textures on some songs and by being just so damn fun and likeable that it makes it hard to criticize. For all their apparent blandness, you get the sense that The Revivalists know how to write a good song; they never use their unique instrumentation as a gimmick, and manage to put together some endearing tunes, adding what may not be a revelatory voice in the rock and roll discourse, but one worth listening too and appreciating for what it is.

RIYL: Ray LaMontagne, Fitz and the Tantrums, Nick Waterhouse, Imagine Dragons if they had a brass section and weren‰’t lame
Recommended: 1, 3, 6, 10