The Loop : Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (2008)

Another one in the category of "dude, Ashley, wake up and listen!!!"

I first heard about this band right after I finished my internship at Epic. One of the marketing assistants managed the band and was in fact a former college rep, so after friending him on Facebook, he invited me to the Facebook group (remember those?) and I accepted. I had a lot of friends who were 'managers' and assumed that his band was just like some of the pop punk bands I saw filter through Phoenix with 'managers', usually someone related to them who updated the MySpace.

I didn't really do any investigating past that, until I got a message during the Summer of 2007 in my Facebook inbox to all the Ra Ra Riot group members asking if anyone had seen their drummer. They had played a show in Rhode Island and were at a party when he went missing. There were several other messages that followed asking for information, until the message came that he had been found dead just a few days later. It was absolutely gut wrenching to watch in real time and I truly felt heartbroken for them.

After the dust settled, they announced being signed to Barsuk Records, one of my favorite and most trusted labels. But even then, I got distracted and didn't follow up to hear what this band was about. It wasn't until I moved to New York and the name came up multiple times in conversation (namely from my roommate who is friends with aforementioned mananger, and manager himself [who, in going back to the term 'manager' actually does a legitimately awesome job, obviously. Hi Josh, I'm going to assume you're reading this :)] ) I finally got a copy of the record, but in my habit if totally failing, it only sat on my work computer and not on the iPod, where I spend most of my time.

However, amdist the shuffle of my much smaller work library, their songs would come up and I'd stop what I was doing to see what it was. I'd have it on in the background and slip in and out of consciousness as I worked. It got to the point where I'd be on the train and want to hear it, so I'd get all worked up until I could get to the office and listen to it. It slowly crept it's way into my life until FINALLY, I took it home and spent time with it on the subway, at home, etc.

It is NOTHING like I thought it would be, my first assumption being that it was a punk rock band (sorry, but there's riot in the name and I was a ska kid) Instead it's a beautifully orchestrated and dreamy mix of songs that could almost be the score to a movie. The string players are the ultimate rock stars, living out probably every dream of every high school orchestra member who "just want(s) to rock out, man!" Many of the songs were written by their drummer John Pike and performed in his memory. It really does carry as if you're in the middle of a dream.

This is a record that I am SO upset I missed out on, because I've listened to it SO many times that it could easily make my Top 10 of 2009 . . . except it came out last year, when I wasn't paying attention. In fact, a big inspiration for "The Loop" series was that I got to include and geek out about The Rhumb Line. This really is an incedible record that I often say "just keeps getting better with each listen" (which honestly, I don't remember about a lot of records . . . or any) Seriously. Try it. Over and over.

I just got chills when I heard the string parts at the beginning of this video. See what I mean? It just gets BETTER.