Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...
Influenced equally by '70s AM gold soft rock, Electric Light Orchestra, late '70s/ early '80s new wave, and mid-'80s dance pop, Ra Ra Riot has released five albums, each one as-good-as or better-than the last.
Because of the way they wear their influences, Ra Ra Riot's music creates a disorienting-but-extremely-pleasant nostalgia. So making this list was very difficult, especially in having to omit songs such as "Beta Love," "Water," "Suckers," and "This Time of Year."
If you have Amazon Music Prime, you can listen along here.
1. "Too Too Fast" (from The Rhumb Line, 2008)
Combines '80s dance synths with a little bit of the Strokes and a a little bit of the Talking Heads, then stirs until combined.
2. "Dying is Fine" (from The Rhumb Line, 2008)
Lyrically the chorus borrows from the e.e.cumings poem of the same name. Musically, relies heavily on Rebecca Zeller's violin and Alexandra Lawn's cello.
3. "Do You Remember" (from The Orchard, 2010)
The ache in Wes Miles' voice on that vocal outro...
4. "Too Dramatic" (from The Orchard, 2010)
The lyrics are about someone who is too dramatic, but the musical arrangement is just the right amount of dramatic (especially the dancey synth bridge).
5. "Boy" (from The Orchard, 2010)
Mathieu Santos' bass-playing in this song is just insane.
6. "Angel, Please" (from Beta Love, 2013)
You know that video where someone put Phoenix's "Listzomania" over scenes from John Hughes movies? It could have just as easily been this song.
7. "That Much" (from Beta Love, 2013)
The jagged guitar solo dissolving into an electronic screech gets me every time.
8. "Bad Times" (from Need Your Light, 2016)
That chorus.
9. "Call Me Out" (from Need Your Light, 2016)
If you wanted to make a case for Miles being one of rock's best and most elastic vocalists, this would be the song to submit for consideration.
10. "Dangerous" (from Superbloom, 2019)
Perfectly captures what it's like to fall for someone you know is bad news: "It takes so much work but it's worth all the hurt for the couple of times I feel good."
11. "Bitter Conversation" (from Superbloom, 2019)
The band goes full yacht rock, and the results are freaking glorious.
12. "Backroads" (from Superbloom, 2019)
Correction: This is actually where the band goes full yacht rock. Somewhere in Texas, Christopher Cross is smiling.
Comments