The Rhumb Line

The audience's favorite Ra Ra Riot

Last year there was a young band from New York state at one of the musical festivals that impressed the audience especially, named strangely Ra Ra Riot. The collective's ace were two girls, one of whom, Alexandra Lawn, plays cello and the other, Rebecca Zeller, plays violin, and these instruments combine greatly with the band's modern rock sound. Then everybody was waiting for Ra Ra Riot's debut album to be released but it did not happen because of the drummer's tragic death. Yet in spite of everything the band has decided to continue playing. During the year Ra Ra Riot has performed with various short tours including one in Great Britain and has also managed to be a supporting act with Tokyo Police Club, and some say that it has even outshone the latter. Finally this summer Ra Ra Riot releases its debut album The Rhumb Line. Five improved versions of songs that the audience is already acquainted with and five absolutely new compositions have made up the record which will become a perfect choice for everyone who likes a good quality rock music.

Sentimental, sad and melancholic tracks on The Rhumb Line

It goes without saying that The Rhumb Line is dedicated to the late drummer that is why there are practically no frankly joyful tracks on it, on the contrary, most of them are rather sentimental, sad and melancholic mainly because of the front man Wes Miles' vocals. The record opens with already popular composition Ghost Under Rocks with a memorable chorus and great guitar riffs whereas track Each Year is interesting for the contrast between a vivacious and expressive rhythm and the singer's quite melancholic singing. The song St. Peter's Day Festival is one of the most beautiful and life-affirming on the album: its wonderful tune is underlined with the violin and cello. Compositions Winter '05 and Can You Tell have become the climax of the album's instrumental background for the combination of the guitarist Milo Bonacci's playing and that of two girls is the most successful here while track Dying Is Fine proves to be the most emotional on the record. Greeting from the 80's, Too Too Too Fast, is remarkable for an unusual chorus on which the front man almost speaks while Kate Bush's cover Suspended In Gaffa has turned out to be so good that can even compete with the original. The album closes with Run My Mouth, which starts as a soulfully melancholic composition and then gets more and more joyful and optimistic as if telling that life goes on no matter what.

Music that has not remained unnoticed

A great number of people agree that the sounding like that of Ra Ra Riot has been missing the world pop rock stage for quite a long time. These really talented musicians have started playing at a university campus and never actually pretended to have any commercial success but their music has proved to be too good to remain unnoticed and already six months after its forming the band has found itself at a festival. Later a lot of positive reviews appeared on the Internet about their performance that was one of the most vivid and memorable. Of course listening to The Rhumb Line you will not feel the same emotions that feel those who have been to the band's concerts but this album is quite enough to realize how good these young people are. Passion and melancholy, hope and despair, sadness and joy combine nicely in their music. It is very worth hoping that Ra Ra Riot's following creation does not make us wait too long and prove to be no less successful than The Rhumb Line and that only luck accompany them in its future.