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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
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Rarae Avis:
Self-Titled
Their name looks hard to pronounce. Their album is self-titled. The artwork is monotone photographs of stark landscapes. The liner notes are practically non-existent. There is absolutely no mention of a single human being to be found here. The songs are untitled. So far, theres not much to go on, but dont expect more information on their website. The site mentions the fact that the band has members, but doesnt provide details. Again, specifically mentioning humans, directly or generally, is rare. If you do a little digging through the interviews on their press page, you find out that there are three members, and they actually have names. It seems obvious from the start that Rarae Avis is going to make the listener work a little bit. This approach is refreshing in the current state of our musical world, where you usually can tell exactly what a band will sound like based on their album cover. So press play, and let the music do the talking. As your tour guide, I insist that you wear headphones. The stereo panning and effects here can only be truly appreciated this way. Track one starts things slowly with guitars that swell and glow and fade. Honestly, the whole track sounds like the perfect introduction to a song that never really starts. Reminds me of the beginning of U2s Where the Streets Have No Name. Four minutes of warm, atmospheric guitar tones lead us into track two, which sounds a bit more like an actual song. After another minute of some delayed guitar playing, we actually get to hear some drums, which fill things out quite nicely. Still, everything so far sounds like the introduction to something greater to something just over the horizon. Im not sure where were going, and it sure is taking a long time to get there, but I have my suspicions that it might be worth it. Track three continues the warm, enveloping tone of the previous tracks, but introduces a new element to the mix: vocals. By now, ten minutes into the album, the vocals actually come as a surprise. But they fit well and even have their own little stereo flourishes to keep up with the swimming guitars. They wrote words how much more trouble would it have been to write some song titles? Because by now, Ive been sucked in, and I want more insight into whats going on here. Track four also has vocals, but track five goes back on an instrumental bent. A diverse, sprawling audio landscape that starts with gentle guitars, throws in some booming drums, and ends with some nice backwards effects. Six is vocal again. Seven ends things with an instrumental. This one showcases some fine feedback control. It takes a lot for me to like an instrumental band. And sure, there are vocals on a handful of these songs, but in my mind I still classify Rarae Avis as an instrumental group. This band got my attention early, and kept if for all 42 minutes. I keep going back for another listen, and every time, I find something new. Their experimental approach is engaging, the production is top notch, and the mixing is flat out superb. In the end, you dont need to know the names of the members, nor do you need to know the names of the songs. The music stands on its own. Expect to see this one on my list of the top ten albums of 2003.
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