All Hail Discordia

Album Review

By the opening lyrics of All Hail Discordia ("In spite of everything, I believe in everyone") and the jangly guitars, one might not guess this is a release from 1997. By Divine Right's philosophy is very '70s — I'm OK, You're OK — and they are unabashedly gleeful about it, which is downright mindblowing in the midst of all the wallowing self-pity that clogged much of the music in the mid- to late '90s. By Divine Right are behind the times in many ways — they're sincere, noncynical, honest, funny, unassuming, well-adjusted — and their sound is as happy and carefree as their lyrics, with crunchier guitar riffs than your typical power pop. All of this, of course, makes them revolutionary — or, at least, bright standouts in the late '90s modern rock scene.