The Orchard
So your drummer and songwriter dies after
recording your debut album. It's met with decent, and deserved,
accolades. It's like Vampire
Weekend Jr., but much more lush. What do you do for your
follow up? You turn down the pop (cuz the dead guy was the "hook"
man) and up the lush. In fact the first track on the album lacks
both hooks and drums, but has some serious strings. It's almost
a tip of the hat of where they're headed. Heavy but meandering
bass lines and violins and cellos and plucked guitar top lead
singer, Wesley Miles’, affected annunciation and layered vocals.
The drums are certainly not thundering as they duck in and out
of the side percussion and form a similar backbone as other
"intelligent" music. This album and its fey beauty
will piss off anyone looking to rock out, but the orchestration
and multiple listens will make those porch swing moments much
more enjoyable. For those who love Vampire Weekend, this is
their older, more mature brother. Lemonade optional. |
The Rhumb Line
It's hard to believe, after spending four
years there, that anything good could come out of Syracuse.
It's a gray city cursed with some of the worst weather in the
country, and a serious lack of anything even approaching cool.
Until Ra Ra Riot came along, of course. Unless you don't consider
a band whose melodies are mostly formed by two chicks with a
cello and a violin cool. And it's just that that gives Ra Ra
Riot something more atmospheric, and a different little spark
than the glut of vaguely Brit/Scott-sounding indie bands out
there. Imagine Belle &
Sebastian having a party with That
Dog and Someone
Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin while hopped up on caffeine
and falling down stairs with a couple of the dudes from Vampire
Weekend. But less controlled. Yeah, that's it. To listen
to this lead singer and think he's from anywhere near Central
New York is laughable, but I guess making the word "dollar"
sound like "daahler" isn't such a great thing, so
you might as well go with any accent outside of Upstate. I think
this album is definitely a grower, as it seems to morph with
each listen. I keep expecting the guitars to kick in and really
put some edge into the music, but it never comes. Part of me
is disappointed with that, but the other side likes the originality
in not going for the easy umph that most indie bands would go
for. Well we may not have had a national band on the scene when
I was at SU, but at least we had Clavin's Mother and Professor
Spoon. |
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