Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line

Label: Barsuk

Finally, the long-awaited full-length debut from local faves Ra Ra Riot. The Rhumb Line is a sheer triumph, with wonderful hooks and melodies spanning 10 tight songs in a little over 35 minutes. The band’s travails are well-known by now; its drummer, John Ryan Pike, drowned last year, and that loss is a major theme of the album. But The Rhumb Line is no maudlin affair; the somber words are matched with bouncy tracks, such as the fiery opener, “Ghost Under Rocks.” The song deals candidly with Pike’s death but the music soars with a guitar-and-strings arrangement interlocking with some ferocious drumming. “Dying Is Fine” continues in this vein, but humor is thrown into the mix. Lead singer Wesley Miles has a bit of Morrissey in his delivery, and the band rocks in a style that will remind some of Vampire Weekend, but make no mistake: this is a startlingly bold and original pop record, its candid depictions of death and loss balanced with some affirmations of life that inspire as well as entertain.