Riviera Broken Hearted Dreams CD

Riviera's Broken Hearted Dreams is a hideaway of bungalow anthems and bedroom door confessionals inspired by the wisdom in a hollowed-out bible. Over six songs, the Chicago quartet maps the routes between American Music Club, the Rolling Stones, and the more intellectual wing of insurgent country's brokedown palace, discovering in the end that everything leads to the same blind alley. "Friends in California" dangles the dream of the golden state as a refuge from pain, and features a sunlit country-rock chorus as proof. But its characters are embittered. "You don't remember how we got here," Derek Phillips sings. "But I can tell you it was luck." The narrator of the gorgeous "Such Sweet Sorrow" is just as hopeful for the future, but seems more concerned about the voices in his head. It's a weary, bluesy number, and plays out like "Sister Morphine"'s schizophrenic cousin. Riviera has definitely stayed a few nights in Wilco's Americana hotel. But their debut EP never lets its influences lead the dance, instead dizzying them with literate doses of absurdist humor and liberal doses of the hidden hooch in that hollow bible. ~ Johnny Loftus

In July 2009, "Golden Lies" was featured on the A&E network's The Cleaner, starring Benjamin Bratt. Also featured was "Golden Lies" from Riviera's Broken Hearted Dreams EP.“One of Chicago’s hottest rising talents. While the idea of a Chicago alt-country outfit blending folkie chords with experimental soundscapes isn’t exactly a new one, Riviera carves out its own niche by adding a healthy dose of pithy lyrics worthy of Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus.” – Chicago Tribune’s Metromix “Riviera never lets its influences lead the dance, instead dizzying them with literate doses of absurdist humor and liberal doses of the hidden hooch in that hollow bible.” – All Music Guide “Richly textured melodies, creative uses of feedback and electronic washes and the exploitation of all the colors in their sonic palette to create some memorable and moody rock and roll.” – The Rock and Roll Report “Riviera is able to sound sincere in its wholesale borrowing of classic rock elements. I imagine it’s much easier to divine in a live setting, but Riviera never seems to labor during their songs. They trigger a certain satisfying déjà vu but through it all there’s an awareness that they’re operating on a platform well trampled by many bands, a certain self-effacing approach that keeps the focus squarely on the songs and not on the band’s influences.” – Stylus “Their collective wit is literate and wry, backed by rock swagger and a willingness to let a tinge of rock noise creep in occasionally.” – Miles of Music“Chicago-based Riviera assumes the burden of channeling crates and crates full of everyone's favorite albums… While labels such alt-country or Americana certainly fit Riviera's sound, At The End of the American Century also borrows from 70’s classic FM rock and the most accessible of contemporary indie rock, covering multiple aesthetic touch points without the self-conscious dress code of hipster hang-ups...” – Blue Mag“Spot on for those who dig the sad bastard music that’s not so sad sounding. It actually makes for a great soundtrack for an indie flick that doesn’t exist yet.” – Punk Planet# # # # # # # # # # # # Riviera’s musical palette contains shades of artists you already love (Neil Young, Rolling Stones, George Harrison) blended together with colors unique to each of the band’s three singer-songwriters.On Capital, the second full-length album by Riviera on Glorious Noise Records, the band stretches their sounds past the distorted Americana that pervaded their debut, At the End of the American Century… While that album had a palpable sense of paranoia throughout, Capital is the sound of a band resigned to live in troubled world: “There’s a change coming on, and I don’t think I know what it means” (“White Limousine”). And it’s no