Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead (Hidden Pony Records)
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| Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead |
Release Date: 9th June 2014
Seriously Canada, what the hell
are you up to over there? It's like a constant stream of great and different
bands is just flowing forth from your shores and I am powerless to resist (not
that I'd want to). It's like a bloodless coup in my ears and I'm ready to
defect. Where's my maple syrup? You see, Regina collective Rah Rah are pretty
special and this new album promises so much and then delivers on the promises.
Opening up with the sprightly indie romp of 'Art & A Wife' the band hit
their stride pretty quickly before recent single 'Prairie Girl' comes bounding
up to you like an excited child full of sugar at a birthday party. The vocals
switch back and forth between different band members and the wistful male voice
on 'First Kiss' reminds of the likes of David Kitt or Evan Dando but with a
little more bite. Latest single '20s' has a real 90s indie feel about it,
evoking the likes of Kenickie or Lush while 'Dead Men' is a five minute whopper
of epic proportions that sounds like Arcade Fire and the Flaming Lips have an
epic-off atop a mountain as snow and eagles swirl around them, all filmed by
Anton Corbijn from a helicopter.
Album title track, 'The Poet's
Dead', is a more West-coast indie-pop romp that Weezer or the Lemonheads would
nod approvingly at while 'I'm A Killer' is not a song about Brandon Flowers but
rather a sultry number built on the foundations of a simple organ chord
progression only to flourish in to a spine tingling, Ladyhawke-esque number.
The real talent these guys have is in adapting their numerous talents to suit
the song and in putting the song first you are always more likely to make
something worthwhile - if you want to know what happens when the song comes
after the ego then just go and type Miley Cyrus or Razorlight in to youtube.
'Run' is up next and although it's probably the weakest track on the album it
still has an appealing darkness to it but then along comes 'Fake Our Love' and
that West-coast swagger is back again to drive you down the highway with the
top down and take you to a beach party. The album finishes up with 'Saint' and
some delicate, jangly guitars providing a gentle bed for the beautifully soft
and sweet vocals to grow and bloom like a mountain flower. The sad truth about
music blogging is that you rarely get the time to give really good music the
chance to properly unfold to appreciate its full beauty but with a band like
Rah Rah and an album 'The Poet's Dead' you don't really have a choice. Listen
to it in full or die knowing you missed out on something a bit special. It's
your call.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/rahrahband?fref=ts
Live Dates:
4th June - MUZ Club, Nuremberg
5th June - Gruner Salon, Berlin
6th June - Orange Blossom Special Festival, Beverungen
7th June - Zitadelle, Mainz
8th June - Knust, Hamburg w/The Builders and The Butchers +
The Elwins + Mister & Mississippi