Ra Ra Riot enters the Indie rock scene with 'The
Rhumb Line'
By JENNA DENOYELLES
STAFF WRITER
JHDSO3S@PSU.EDU
The Syracuse, Ny. based
band Ra Ra Riot delivers a
sophisticated blend of indie
rock, string instruments, and
hauntingly catchy melodies in
their debut album "The Rhumb
Line."
"The Rhumb Line" was
released on Aug. 19 in the U.S
and Canada, and Sept
29 internationally.
The album is
dedicated to former
friend, inspiration and
drummer, John Pike,
who died in June last
year. Songs like "Each
Year" and "Dying is
Fine" are not the post
traumatic songwriting
of a grieving band.
The quintuplet
formed two years ago
and released a self
titled EP last year.
Ra Ra Riot is Wesley
Miles on keyboards
and vocals, Alexandra
Lawn on cello and vocals, Milo
Bonacci on guitar, Mathieu Santo
on bass guitar, and Rebecca
Zeller on violin. Cameron Wisch
plays drums in all of the songs.
"The Rhumb Line" is moody
Sebold tops charts with 'The Lovely Bones'
By MORGAN DYSINGER
STAFF WRITER
MEDSIS2@PSU.EDU
In April of 2004, Back Bay
Books released a fictional novel
by up-and-coming author Alice
Sebold, which proved to be a
chilling, yet poignant piece of
work that soared to the top of
the bestseller charts. Sebold's
brilliant creation, "The Lovely
Bones", is the heart-wrenching
story of 14-year-old Susie
Salmon, who is brutally raped
and murdered on her way home
from school one dark afternoon.
After her death, Susie reaches her
version of heaven, and watches
in yearning from above as the
people who were once a part of
her life attempt to carry on with
and melancholy at times, while
at other times optimistic, bouncy
and even cheerful. The moodier
melodies act as a precursor
to fall. The first track, "Ghost
Under Rocks" opens up with
heavy cello and bass followed
by mournful humming leading
into the lyrics, "When every
little thing/ You own is looking
back/ At you and starts to
mean/ Less than it ever did."
There is a depressing essence
Photo courtesy of RARARIOT.COM
in fall and winter; a similar
essence is felt in this song.
While the single "Dying is
Fine" has a sullen title, the catchy
dance appeal is obvious. The
music itself happy, counteracted
their own lives without her.
This
particular
genre of story,
one where the
maincharacter
is looking
down on the
world from
the heavens,
is not one that
was new to the
literary world
when 'Lovely
Bones' was
published.
However, it
is Sebold's
beautiful
way with
words and
descriptions
by the lyrics, "Death oh baby/
You know that dying is fine but
maybe/ I wouldn't like death
that make her novel so unique.
The bulk of
the first half of
this book deals
mostly with the
shock and grief
the members
of the Salmon
family face when
it has become a
cruel reality for
them that Susie
is truly gone.
There is also a
strong element
of mystery in
this section
Photo courtesy of amazon.com
to courtesy
if death were good/ not even if
death were good." So we dance
do death, it may be morbid, but
struggle to discover for quite
some time. On top of missing her
deeply, Susie's family struggles
with the changes each of them
subsequently go through, as her
siblings grow up and her parents'
marriage is tested by the cloud of
trauma that hangs over them.
The most interesting aspect of
the novel is how it morphs into
a coming-of-age tale for Susie
in her heaven, although she is
essentially frozen for eternity
as a 14-year-old girl. She learns
about letting go, and how her
loved ones on Earth will not be
able to do the same until she
liberates them from their grief
by finally realizing that life is
forever over for her, and it is not
wrong to stop wishing to be back
with them.
as her father
obsesses over
the identity of
her murderer,
which the police
the music is good.
Even happier is the song,
"Can You Tell" whiCh may be
the cliché' love song on the
album, but just because it is
cliché doesn't make it any less
amazing. The string instruments
enhance the music in a modern
sense without sounding too
much like "classical" music.
The vocals are a bit like Elliott
Smith because they are wispy
and hallow in some songs. There
is no hard rock edge in the voice
of singer Miles' who also plays
keyboard for the band.
Those who are fond ofbands like,
Arcade Fire, The Maccabees,
Cabin, Grand National, Zox,
Cursive, Los Campesinos, The
Hibernauts, Mere, and Cut Off
Your Hands may be interested in
checking out Ra Ra Riot.
For the first attempt of a
fledgling band, "The Rhumb
Line" is a great album. For only
being on the indie rock scene for
two years, their music is mature
and composed. It is going to be
exciting to see how the band
evolves over the next few years.
Many tracks from The Rhumb
Line are featured on the bands
Myspace page and can be found
at http://www.myspace.com/
rarariot. The albuin is only $lO
can be found on the band's Web
site.
Sebold was a victim of rape
once herself, and her experiences
in coping with that struggle have
undoubtedly made her a very
reliable source of the devastating
emotional detail necessary for
this novel. However, she is also
someone who can shed light on
the brighter side of recovery
and healing; even though this
is channeled through fictional
characters in her book. 'The
Lovely Bones' is a compelling
story that combines her
knowledge of a gruesome life
struggle with the wisdom of a
person who has found peace in
her life once again through it all.
Some words for the wise:
store a box of tissues close by
while embarking on this literary
adventure.