31 January 2013
By Shelby Clemons, Staff Writer
You may not have heard of the New York indie rock band Ra Ra Riot, but don’t be so quick to look them up. The band consisted of six members playing an array of instruments, including the violin and cello, until their cellist left in February 2012. The band recently released their third studio album, and first sans-chellist, Beta Love.
The first time I heard this band was when I heard their song “Dying is Fine,” a dance-inducing, instrumentally magical tune from their first album The Rhumb Line. I’ll admit, it was the only song I had ever heard before listening to Beta Love, but going back to listen to their earlier works, it’s obvious that they replaced their cellist with a synthesizer.
I will applaud Ra Ra Riot for the way they dealt with their loss by adapting their music and shifting their direction. It’s just a shame that they went from dreamy, authentic instruments to a cookie-cutter electronic sound.
However, there is a silver lining to every cloud. The album’s single “Dance with Me” is fun, energetic and something you might find yourself dancing to if you happened upon it.
In Beta Love’s title track, lead singer Wes Miles asks, “If I run to you, would you stay? I might be a prototype, but we’re both real inside. Would you take me up this time?” This line is only example one of the many romantic, well-written lyrics, which are promising until Miles starts screeching along with the synthetic melody.
Back to the silver lining, you can actually discern a violin in “For Once,” one of a few songs that sound like oldies love songs. Bonus: the song “Wilderness” sounds like an R&B song, with its slow rhythm that is suddenly met by a wave of sounds you would probably come across in a sci-fi movie.
Decent band, bad album. The main problem is, you may not come across this band unless you happened upon it on Pandora, and you may not think twice about their music after hearing it, anyways. Don’t get me wrong—Ra Ra Riot is a talented band, but their earlier work was far more enjoyable than the electronic limbo that has entrapped them in Beta Love.
3/10
Courtesy of www.spin.com