Ra Ra Riot Issue #37

The Rhumb Line (Barsuk)

By Chris R. Morgan
Published: September 1st, 2008 | 12:15am

Although they’ve had spots on some major tours (Editors, etc.), Ra Ra Riot’s credentials are relegated mostly to opening spots — which bares certain connotations about their artistic vision. That is to say it’s good, but it’s not that good. There’s a kind of lackluster-ness that will not disassociate from the group. This is only because Ra Ra Riot shouldn’t be touted for their opening spots. There’s a grandness that lurks in and around their arrangements that can be brought out.

Ra Ra is not the band that commands attention with an air-sucking presence — that kind of grandstanding doesn’t work with a violin and cello. Rather, Ra Ra settles for whimsy, prettiness, and innocence; they’re playful and smart. It’s a common atmosphere in these dreadful post-twee times, but there’s no rule banning catchiness; and if there was, Ra Ra do their damndest to break said rule. Their bass thumps lightly under the lush string arrangements that waft and drift from song to song, guiding the vocals in gentle tonal curves. There is guitar, but it often gets buried under the strings; at times it jangles joyously as intensity rises, and at other times it’s as faint as a cluster of sticks getting kicked around by a kid in his backyard.

However, the laid-back thoughtfulness of The Rhumb Line is not without its detriments. What Ra Ra Riot lacks significantly is a sense of curiosity: they don’t explore their own sound, their own aesthetic, their own tastes. The one song that balloons them above indie rock mediocrity is “Too Too Too Fast,” a jaunty tune with ambitious synthesizers, concise hooks, and clear, straight-arrow vocals. While this kind of accessibility is not foreign to the band, here it is more fun, and not tied up in seemingly intellectual dandyism.

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