Three Imaginary Girls - Ra Ra Riot

Death Cab for Cutie in the Park

imaginary victoria — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:11:48 +0000

19 Jul 2009

The recent Death Cab for Cutie show at Marymoor was, in one word, amazing. Combine the gorgeous summertime drive to Redmond, the grassy knolls, the impeccable soundsystem, and the energy of these spectacular bands -- and you've got a one-of-a-kind warm-weather blissy magic night that concert postcards are made out of.

Traffic kept uber-photogress Laura Musselman and I from seeing the bulk of Ra Ra Riot's opening set, although we did hear their clean, sweet vocals wafting out over the fields as we made our way into the venue. Marymoor is thoughfully laid out, with pathways and raised areas to spread out picnics in the back of the show area, and a sunken 'floor' leading up to the stage for a close-up view of the show. As a result, the sold-out crowd never once felt like it overtook the spaces it occupied, and there was plenty of room in the front of the house to take in the view and the sound of the performers. It was my first time seeing a show there, and I was pleasantly surprised all-around.

Skeptical as I was about seeing the New Pornographers without Neko Case -- as were many folks I talked with prior to the show -- I've got to take space to make it abundantly clear that they were absolutely fantastic. Over the forty minutes or so that they played, each song came through with energy, style, and hipster-proof foot-tapping contagiousness. Laura noted that they really did a great job showcasing songs that complemented their strengths, instead of trying to cover up the fact that Neko wasn't there. I don't think I can explain it any better than that.

After a what seemed like only a few minutes of changeover, the lights all shifted, and we were suddenly thrown into Death Cab's set with abandon -- but a good kind of suddenly, like someone had gone from fourth to fifth on a car that was streaming down a gorgeous movie-scene highway. I looked around in amazement at the scenery, slack-jawed by the quality of the sound system, blown away at the energy that was pouring off the stage. Every single moment was tremendous, right from the literal opening up-notes of Ben Gibbard's voice crooning the first lines of Marching Bands of Manhattan.

The set list was perfect, weaving us in and out of recent releases, cassette-originals, and a sampling of tracks in-between -- it was a great cross-section of their work:

Marching Bands of Manhattan
New Year
Why You'd Want to Live here
Crooked Teeth
No Sunlight
Company Calls
Summer Skin
Grapevine Fires
I Will Possess Your Heart
I Will Follow You into the Dark [Ben solo]
Title & Registration
Cath
Little Bribes
Pictures in an Exhibition
Expo '86
Sound of Settling
--
Brothers in a Hotel Bed
405
Soul Meets Body
Transatlanticism

Serving better than any adjective this writer could choose, the insanely talented Laura Musselman captured some stunning shots from both nights of shows, which she's graciously shared with us in the imaginary flickr pool. Here's just a few from Sunday's set:

Combine the gorgeous summertime drive to Redmond, the grassy knolls, the impeccable soundsystem, and the energy of these spectacular bands -- and you've got a one-of-a-kind warm-weather blissy magic night that concert postcards are made out of.

Free Built to Spill, Ra Ra Riot, Smile Brigade show at UW

ChrisB — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:04:34 +0000

The lineup is Built to Spill, Ra Ra Riot and Smile Brigade and it will be on the HUB Lawn at the University of Washington from 3-7pm and it's free.

New DCfC video by Walter Robot, and some minty-fresh tour dates!

imaginary victoria — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:58:33 +0000

Animated short film for "Grapevine Fires," a pinch of Obama, and a US tour gets underway in April.

Recommended show tonight: Ra Ra Riot and Telekinesis at Neumo's

imaginary liz — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:21:17 +0000

Not sure which of those reasons is at the top of the list today, but the sum of the parts makes it imperative that you head to Neumo's to see them tonight when they play with Ra Ra Riot and Cut Off Your Hands (it's all ages).

Win tickets to see Ra Ra Riot and Telekinesis at Neumo's

three imaginary girls — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:51:50 +0000

There are a bunch of reasons to head to Neumo's on Wednesday night February 25th. The impeccable line up of Ra Ra Riot, Cut Off Your Hands and Telekinesis can't be beat and the show is all ages!

The Rhumb Line

Diana Salier — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:09:40 +0000

6.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001B92EHG/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

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Ra Ra Riot is quirky, orchestral indie rock best suited for fans of Vampire Weekend and the Arcade Fire. Unfortunately many of the songs on The Rhumb Line are like those movies that are really only 2 hours long, but feel like they've been dragging on forever. There is too much repetition and not enough change to prevent your mind from wandering, and the song soon becomes backgrounded.

While it's great to stumble across an indie band that isn't afraid to go beyond 2 guitars, bass, drums, and maybe a synthesizer every once in awhile, the inclusion of frantic strings throughout the whole album makes the music seem more dramatic than it should be or actually is.

That's not to say that cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller are not extremely competent players -- they are. And the places where the strings fit in the best are when they're used for adding layers of texture - first in "Winter '05," one of the 2 biggest testaments to all of the Vampire Weekend comparisons (the other being "St. Peter's Day Festival"), and later in "Can You Tell," (possibly the best track) a plaintive and eager song that details the harrowing, age-old "do you like me back?" dilemma.

Frontman Wes Miles sings with a strangely affected British accent and most of the time it's difficult to understand what he's saying. A big burst of energy meets a sizeable dose of melancholy throughout, which means these guys are probably a great live band but the songs seem to all end up in relatively the same place and follow the same structure.

To the band's credit, after listening to the album a dozen or more times I started waking up with songs or portions of songs stuck in my head all morning -- most notably "Each Year" and closer, "Run My Mouth." Ra Ra Riot is the answer if you're looking for something different and are tired of hearing about Vampire Weekend every time you turn the corner (although I have referenced them 3 times in this review; it's inescapable). It's easy to listen to The Rhumb Line and neither love it nor hate it, no matter how many times you listen. The music could benefit from a little more of a push if this band is going to stick around.

It's easy to listen to The Rhumb Line and neither love it nor hate it, no matter how many times you listen.

The Little Ones, Ra-Ra-Riot, and Panda and Angel at Chop Suey

Mike Mess — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:18:03 +0000

12 May 2008

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Headliners for the night the Little Ones generated a lot of buzz a couple years ago when they emerged from the ashes of Sunday’s Best, and they're still out touring and making new fans as they did this evening. I first arrived at Chop Suey at about nine to catch the last song from openers Sprengjuhöllin, from Iceland. They were not listed on the bill otherwise I would have certainly shown up earlier. They seemed pretty excitable and genuinely happy to be there performing their acoustic up-beat rock for a short amount of time.

Seattle band Panda & Angel took the stage next after quite a while setting up. The majority of their set was a mix of noisy pop that was average at best but certainly tolerable. Their last two numbers, however, were phenomenal and left me wanting more and made me take special notice. The sound of these songs was more determined; they managed to beautifully put two distinct syncopating sections together and use a sudden transition to produce an overwhelming work of art. There was a precious sincerity in their performance. I especially recommend the song “The End is Not So,” which was one of the two closers.

I had heard Ra Ra Riot before but I didn’t know it beforehand and I love them now! Don’t you love when you go to a show and the band plays a string of songs that you’ve heard many times but didn't realize it was them? Wes Miles, who reminded me a lot of Mitch Hedberg in his delivery and mannerisms, and company were engaging onstage and genuinely personable in their quirkiness. They were a large band, boasting six members. I wonder how much bands this size eat at night and tour for months on end? You drive to a new town and play and get your $5 for food and that’s it? Anyway, I digress. Whatever they're paid per show it should be more because they're great at creating a rustic pop, using violin and cello along with traditional drums, guitar, bass, and keys. Sometimes the band lost a bit of focus and became more noisy and chaotic but most of their songs had a solid driving beat that had everyone bouncing by the end of their set. They put on a great show and make quality music.

The Little Ones were on the stage shortly after 11 which was pleasantly early for a Monday night. I had only heard a few songs by them before the show and as an old fan of Sunday’s Best I was completely surprised at the difference in tone of the band. They were happy, smiling, laughing, and dancing as they performed. Everything seemed to come easily for them and their music was equally as light. They approached pop music from many angles, including a Caribbean style using shakers, steel drums, and a pulsating rhythm section on songs like “Boracay” and “Unlock the Door!” and going straight for the heart with aggressive pop songs like “Lovers Who Uncover” and “Forgive Yourself.” The band played tightly together yet loose and full of energy and fun onstage, though by the end of t he performance it all got a bit too shiny and happy and sugary. Otherwise, I thought they were very good and did a good job at keeping up a high energy.

Don’t you love when you go to a show and the band plays a string of songs that you’ve heard many times but didn't realize it was them?