Review 5: Ra Ra Riot's "The Rhumb Line"

9.0

Heralded with good interviews, I was very curious of this band and their highly anticipated first album. Struck with tragedy in June of 2007 when their drummer and songwriter, John Pike, died, his fingerprints are laced throughout the album, as well as his death's impact on the band.
It's no surprise that the band is close knit with Vampire Weekend, and share an inflluence of Chamber music. The band has a mini string section to augment their melodies, with fast pace beats, lyrics full of pondering about death and love. It's confirmed that these 5 kids from Massachusetts delivered one of the best of 2008.

Tracklist

1. Ghost Under Rocks- With an instant pile driving bass and cello riff, this song starts out with a bang. A good way to start off, but not my favourite on the album. 4 stars


2. Each Year- Sort of a conversation with oneself to keep on keeping on, along with a narrative on youth experiences. There are a lot of wise hooks in here though, you can tell this band has matured emotionally a great deal in result of losing their good friend. 5 stars


3. St. Peter's Day Festival- A fun narrative of a festival in Gloucester, MA. This song also evokes the experiences in youth. Written by John Pike himself before he died, it shows the possible Irish-Catholic influence that you'd expect from anyone from MA. The music is alive, the words are happy, but also thoughtful. 5 stars


4. Winter '05- The message of this song is very clear, "If you were here, winter wouldn't pass quite so slow". I feel like I'm in a cottage somewhere in New England with a fire going next to "orange lamp-shine". This song is cozy and warm, and lead their violin and cello make it all the more wonderful. 4 stars


5. Dying is Fine- Based off of a poem by E.E. Cummings, the title says it all, their ode to John Pike. The music is alive again, and the chorus turns into a racing an Indie-anthem. 5 stars


6. Can You Tell- This song proves that death and sadness isn't the only thing on their mind, but so is love. With hooks like "my bed's too big for just me", and "I think about you nightly", this song will get stuck in your head all day. 5 stars


7. Too Too Too Fast- 80's keyboards? Yes!!! Another anthem chorus, cunning lyrics, and the drums in the intro are dynamite. 4 stars


8. Oh, La- The bass line is sort of like a heartbeat driving through the whole song, this song is slow-paced but each note is carefully played. Proclaiming "we've got a lot to learn from each other, we've got to stick together", Ra Ra Riot has mastered every element of their genre. The fast paced choruses, the ballads, the Chamber Pop strings, and the faux-British vocals. 4 stars


9. Suspended in Gaffa- Kate Bush fans have heard this one before, but for the rest of us, it's the first time hearing this wonderful song. This song focuses on the lighter side of death, and more of the passing into the next world and God himself. Another great chorus, and wise words again, "Unless we can prove that we're doing it, we can't have it all". 4 stars


10. Run My Mouth Off- Now that they've discussed dealing with love, losing loved ones, and death, now comes the part where they decide what's next, and there is light at the end of their tunnel. This song shows that there is definitely hope for overcoming the sadness, and continuing on. 4 stars

Flagship: "Each Year"

Review 4: Vampire Weekend

9.5

Earlier this summer, I stumbled upon this band. I thought "hm...Oxford Comma....comparisons to The Shins...tasty pop....yes!!!!". I gave a listen to "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma" and "Mansard Roof", and I immedietely bought the entire album and I have no regrets.

With the opening beats and perfectly executed keyboard notes on "Mansard Roof", the sharp, high voice of lead singer Ezra Koenig, it is becoming more clear that there is lots of hope for this generation of music. I continued listening, and I wasn't disapointed with any song. Track after track of champer-pop/new wave/indie/afro-beat pop, I realised that this album is DEFINITELY going to be on the top 10 albums of this year, and even the decade. The 4 piece group from New York met while attending Columbia University in New York. Evidence of their college life is sprinkled throughout songs; on "One" he sings "Oh your collegiate grief has left you...". Their influences are even more impressive; African pop music (this is obvious in "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "One") and Western Classical music (this is obvious in "M-79" and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance"). While they stand out in their own right, I would compare them to The Police and The Shins. With their African beats, intelligent pop, and the guitar never taking up too much volume, crafty bass lines, it makes for a near perfect album.

Tracklist:

1. Mansard Roof -The tale of an eavesdropper or peeping-Tom, and an Argentine fleet, 4 stars


2. Oxford Comma -"Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?" That has to be the greatest opening line in any song ever. Not only does this song combine their witty songwriting, but also their intellect, 5 ginormous stars


3. A-Punk -Their most Police-esque song. Fast pace, up-beat, and catchy as hell. 5 stars


4. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa -The epitomy of their African influences, this song tells the story of "a young girl", while sneaking in references to Peter Gabriel, Louis Vuitton, Benneton, and Reggaeton. 5 giant stars


5. M-79 -The epitomy of their Classical influences, and throwing in their collegiate references. This song is a perfect example of their musical experimentation while still maintaining commercial stability. The swirling orchestra instrumentation blends in perfectly with the resereved vocals, crunchy guitar and precise basslines, 5 stars


6. Campus -College romance, ahh how sweet. "How am I supposed to pretend/I never want to see you again?", everyone can identify with this song. The bassline rolls through the song keeping it grounded. 4 stars


7. Bryn -The trebly guitar starts out this song just right. One of the more guitar-oriented songs on the album, it comes at the right time. Possibly another College romance, this time directly referring to her. 4 stars


8. One (Blake's Got a New Face) -One of the catchiest choruses in a long long time. This chorus will have you repeating after Ezra whether you like it or not. 4 stars


9. I Stand Corrected -Although not the best song on the album, it's still a good one. It pretty much epitomizes the feeling of being wrong, in just the somber tone you'd expect. 4 stars


10. Walcott -This song tells the plotline of a film that is the band's namesake. The driving piano riff leads the song, and at the end a mixture of climactic guitar, driving bass, crashing drums, and swirling piano take this song into an epic finale. 4 stars


11. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance -The drummer shines throughout the entire album, but now he gets to start a song, woo! Once the bass comes in, the vocals follow suite. This song is somewhat of a "My Generation" for the 2000's. "With pure Egpytian cotton, the kids don't stand a chance", I agree. After each stanza, the song takes off into a classical-rock instrumental; They couldn't have chose a better way to end the album, this song leaves somewhat of a great ellipsis as to what's next, 5 stars

Flagship song: "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance"
http://www.vampireweekend.com/

Review 3: Coldplay's Viva La Vida

8.4

When I heard that Coldplay was releasing their first album since 2005, I said "about damn time". When I heard that Brian Eno was producing it, I was excited. And finally, when I heard they were "branching out", I was scared. Nowadays when bands "branch out", it's their way of saying, we're trying to be different. The album has all the typical aspects that you'd expect from a Coldplay album, but this time with more political references. Don't get me wrong, the music is epic (minus the uninventive guitar licks), but hearing Chris Martin getting political in a falsetto just doesn't do it for me.
The first moments of "Life in Technicolor" are golden. What starts as an electronic tape-loop sort of thing, turns into an epic Coldplay anthem via a Middle-Eastern dulcimer riff. The album drops off at "Yes", where Chris Martin sings lower than a tuba. The proposed flagship, "Viva La Vida" opens with vivacious strings, and evokes Roman influences, the song seems to be sung in the point of view of Julius Caesar himself. The real gems on this album are "Lovers in Japan", "Strawberry Swing" and the final epic "Viva La Vida". Although not Coldplay's best album, some of the songs are the best of the decade.

Tracklist:

1. Life In Technicolor -evokes the feeling of waking up after a long night's rest, a beautiful melody turned into an instrumental anthem, and Middle-Eastern influences too! 5 stars
2. Cemeteries of London -brings in the political stuff, boring, 3 stars
3. Lost! -an upbeat song, classic Coldplay but still unique enough to stand out in its own right, 4 stars
4. 42 -It starts out okay, but by the end all my attention is gone, 3 stars
5. Lovers in Japan -an ode for runners, lovers, and soldiers to keep on keeping on. If Chris Martin wrote anymore about the soldiers than it would've ruined it, but this song is perfect. The melody, the message, it's epic, 5 stars
6. Reign of Love -a soft piano ballad, 4 stars
7. Yes -no. 2 stars
8. Chinese Sleep Chant -A driving guitar riff leaves the reverb drenched vocals in the dust, but it doesn't matter at all. This song completely surrounds the listener, 4 stars
9. Viva La Vida -Julius Caesar giving his final testament and reminiscing about his former glory and life. Vivacious strings, and even better....timpanis and bells! The chorus finds the listener humming along and bopping their head, 4 stars
10. Violet Hill -too dark, too boring, too political. They're trying to say too much but they're saying the same thing over and over again, 3 stars
11. Strawberry Swing -a Chinese folk style guitar riff, flawless vocals, sweet lyrics of summer love at a swing, this song plays as sweet as strawberries. The best song Coldplay has done in years and years, 5 huge stars
12. Death and All His Friends -"So come over, just be patient and don't worry", ah if only it were that easy. The piano is perfect, the guitar lines supplement the melody. When the slow piano-driven parts ends, the song is transformed into a driving anthem. The band singing all together pleads "I don't want to follow death and all of his friends", 5 stars
13. The Escapist -somewhat of a supplement to "Life in Technicolor" to wrap things up. And that it does, perfectly. 4 stars

Flagship: "Strawberry Swing"

http://www.coldplay.com/