Ra Ra Riot :: "Beta Love"

Ra Ra Riot jag in a new direction on latest single "Beta Love", afraid and ebullient for the future of their band and their sound. Put another way, it's a long way from the strings-first rock songs they arranged at Syracuse. They played in basements before storming the New York rock scene in late 2006 with a set at Canal Room that offered a take on orchestral rock that put even Arcade Fire on notice. And then the band struggled to bring their intensity to the studio, to record accurately the ruckus from the stage. It never quite happened, save maybe on the bouncy, Honda-approved single, "Boy" from their 2010 LP. On "Beta Love," treble is the move. Buzzy keyboards strain against their outer markers and Wesley Miles, one of the best voices in indie rock, eventually ends up soaring almost into auto-tune and, finally, lands awash in layers upon layers of his own voice. The strings make their requisite appearance, a charming bit of the baroque in "this city of robot hearts" as Miles describes the hyper-modernity of "Beta Love." It is pretty and a little disturbing, smiling into the void, synths aimed at the sky and neon lighting what little we can see, the language and fear of the future in the same song.

Howth :: "Secret Goldmine"

Ever since the collapse of the mercantilist economic systems of the late 18th-century, most intellectuals accepted the notion of national success in the marketplace was tied to more than accumulation of precious metals. Sitting on a pile of gold, or anything else for that matter, bucked the rules of supply and demand that governed these post-Enlightenment economies. And though it took nearly two centuries even Nixon took the United States off the gold standard in the 1970s with almost no fanfare. Now, the only fixation with gold arises from the far right wing, uber-Atlas Shrugged demagogues. But these are matters of national economic policy, not emotional, metaphorical geography. In these areas, Howth, a New Jersey folk band (How else can you explain both silky harmonies and slices of E-Street sax?) suggest the privilege in being "your secret goldmine" on their song of roughly the same name. The chorus is overlaid with a delicate female duet, indicating that being an outlet of emotional prosperity, in this sense, should be mutual. "Secret Goldmine" resounds as a beautiful and pebbled arrangement, set against hushed and downcast vocals, in moments sounding like a whispered Ra Ra Riot. Underpinning the whole matter is the notion of something scarce and rare becoming something private and kept, a love with enough kick to reverse of the last 200 years of economic philosophy.

Listen :: Howth - "Secret Goldmine"
Listen :: Howth - "Joseph"
Listen :: Howth - "Wind Blows Cold"

Ra Ra Riot :: "Dying Is Fine"

This is a hard conversation to have. Ra Ra Riot is a band that I've had an unhealthy thing for since I saw them two winters ago at an ill-conceived industry showcase. Their first proper LP is coming out on August 19 and lead-single "Dying Is Fine" is about to appear at the end of this post. To say I wanted a lot for this record is saying too little. I wanted a lot a lot for this album.

Ra Ra Riot toured with the now super-famous Tokyo Police Club for a big chunk of last year and pretty routinely blew them off the stage. There was even a night in Boston last summer where Ra Ra Riot was sandwiched between Vampire Weekend (OHMYGOD!!) and TPC. Tokyo Police Club had the ink barely dry on their deal with Saddle Creek and Vampire Weekend were about to get with with XL Records. Ra Ra Riot was a few months away from getting in bed with Barsuk. One night defined indie music in 2007 and it was August 12. And the Ra Ra Riot kids stole the show. I mean, just ripped it off like a 2am gas station robbery. No plan, no grand design - just unfiltered larceny.

The point is, Ra Ra Riot was the best live club band in 2006 and 2007. And it wasn't even close. We even tried to forget that they had a few EPs that did little to capture the evocative live experience. So when they signed to Barsuk, the conventional wisdom was: recording budget + quality producer - pressure to get signed = An outstanding album. (Footnote: It worked with TPC. Saddle Creek brought you "Tessellate" and don't get it twisted. TPC never could have done that on their own. Never. Sometimes, you need someone to pick you up to that next level. Everyone needs help.) And thus, the Ra Ra Riot full-length discussion became riddled with expectation. And the album is okay. "Dying Is Fine" sounds a little bigger, mostly the recording mix on the drums and the sort of hanging sheen that says someone knew their way around ProTools. I mean, are we finally using reverb on the vocals? It's a damn miracle.

This is a fantastic live band with really, truly nice kids who make sort of exciting music. The recording just never seems to live up to the show. So go see them live. They'll be blowing some would-be-up-and-comer off the stage with hurricane force. And I promise not too get too hung up on the rest of the details.

Listen :: Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine