The Rhumb Line
The Rhumb Line
Ra Ra Riot
What happens when you add half a string quartet and an indie rock band? OK, that isn't really funny, Ra Ra Riot is a indie rock quintet from New York, originally formed by schoolmates in Syracuse University. Having heard RRR's exciting EP last year, I expected a pretty good record here, and 'The Rhumb Line' does not disappoint. For a band that has only been playing for a couple of years, RRR has managed to keep a tight sound from relentless touring both in the US and UK.
While I used to find lead vocalist Wes Miles' voice a bit raw for my taste, everything sounds more polished in the final tracks. RRR's music can be described as the middle ground between anthem making Arcade Fire and the more pop sensible Vampire Weekend. The music is buoyant, and the influences count, the cellist and violinist both have strong classical leanings. The band also obviously adores Kate Bush, having covered a remarkable version of 'Hounds of Love' and 'Suspended in Gaffa', the latter included in the album.
One of the finest tracks 'Dying is Fine' is borrowed partly from the e.e. cummings' poem of the same name. Ironically, it was co-written by John Pike, their original drummer who drowned under mysterious circumstances while the band was on tour. Besides the uniqueness the strings bring to their sound, RRR also has a rather inspired approach to lyric writing, 'Ghost in the Rocks' is full of metaphors, figurative and literal motifs, they abandon prose, attempting poetry instead.
And although it sounds like one, the album isn't an elegy. It's a bittersweet tribute, the mournful cellos, the melancholic violins coupled with the punk guitar beats, it's really an album about friendships and those who stick together through those dark times.
Ra Ra Riot
What happens when you add half a string quartet and an indie rock band? OK, that isn't really funny, Ra Ra Riot is a indie rock quintet from New York, originally formed by schoolmates in Syracuse University. Having heard RRR's exciting EP last year, I expected a pretty good record here, and 'The Rhumb Line' does not disappoint. For a band that has only been playing for a couple of years, RRR has managed to keep a tight sound from relentless touring both in the US and UK.While I used to find lead vocalist Wes Miles' voice a bit raw for my taste, everything sounds more polished in the final tracks. RRR's music can be described as the middle ground between anthem making Arcade Fire and the more pop sensible Vampire Weekend. The music is buoyant, and the influences count, the cellist and violinist both have strong classical leanings. The band also obviously adores Kate Bush, having covered a remarkable version of 'Hounds of Love' and 'Suspended in Gaffa', the latter included in the album.
One of the finest tracks 'Dying is Fine' is borrowed partly from the e.e. cummings' poem of the same name. Ironically, it was co-written by John Pike, their original drummer who drowned under mysterious circumstances while the band was on tour. Besides the uniqueness the strings bring to their sound, RRR also has a rather inspired approach to lyric writing, 'Ghost in the Rocks' is full of metaphors, figurative and literal motifs, they abandon prose, attempting poetry instead.
And although it sounds like one, the album isn't an elegy. It's a bittersweet tribute, the mournful cellos, the melancholic violins coupled with the punk guitar beats, it's really an album about friendships and those who stick together through those dark times.
