Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line
Posted Aug. 19 at 3:25 pm by Sara Brickner
Ra Ra Riot performing "Too Too Too Fast" at the Bowery Ballroom in March
Because Syracuse band Ra Ra Riot underwent some serious trauma, their following— which is sizable— had to wait a good long while for this record, which hits stores today. First, the band lost its original lead singer within the first year of Ra Ra Riot's existence (according to Pitchfork, anyhow). Then, drummer John Pike was found dead in Buzzard Bay last year after disappearing from a party in Providence, Rhode Island the night before. I can't think of many fledgling bands who endured the death of a member and decided to soldier on anyway, but Ra Ra Riot did, and for that, I have to offer up my utmost respect.
The thing is, though John Pike helped write at least half of The Rhumb Line, death pervades this record all the same, even though the music itself is hardly funereal: every track is light, bouncy chamber pop ornamented with melancholy strings that contrast (but somehow, don't clash) with the album's accelerated pace. There's even a slight '80s vibe to this record, what with their Kate Bush cover, "Suspended in Gaffa" and melancholy synth-pop ditty "Too Too Too Fast" (video above).
That said, I doubt this album is gonna light the music world on fire or anything, even if it is on flagship label Barsuk Records; it's not really musically groundbreaking in any significant way, and the lyrics to some of their songs, like "Can You Tell," get a little too melodramatic and, uh, emo for my cynical ass (sorry to resort to that term, but you catch my drift). That said, it's also a fun album, even if it's not my cup o' tea. I don't think I'd go out and buy it, but I'd be happy to listen to it in someone else's car or on KEXP. Frankly, I probably would've liked it better four years ago, when I was still listening to Deathcab for Cutie ALL the time and lamenting their post-Transatlanticism popularity (little did I know what would come to pass!).
Topics: CD review
