The New Music

Ra Ra Riot The Orchard [Arts & Crafts]

Need to know: Ra Ra Riot were born in 2006 and came storming out of the gates like a Kentucky Derby winner. Known for their spirited live shows, the band became a blog darling after a series of triumphant gigs during the 2007 South By Southwest Conference. However, shortly after, the band lost their drummer John Pike, who drowned to his death in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts in June. Ra Ra Riot carried on with Cameron Wisch as their new drummer though, releasing their debut EP the next month and eventually signing to prestigious indie label Barsuk for their first album. The Rhumb Line was released to generally positive reviews in 2008, and they toured extensively with Tokyo Police Club that year. Two more EPs followed. The band self-produced their second album, The Orchard, choosing labelmate Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend to help mix.

In a 100 words or so: Ra Ra Riot’s second album isn’t much of a departure from The Rhumb Line. But where that album failed to live up to the promise they exhibited with their 2007 self-titled EP, The Orchard finally delivers. The title track isn’t the best example of this; overtly theatrical, it’s carried by a sweeping string section, a bass line and Wes Miles’ poignant words. It comes off as a little too intense for an album opener, yet adds to the band’s sprawling palette of wonderfully arranged indie pop. The abruptness of segueing into a peppy number like “Boy” feels like a bit of a misstep, but that song’s vibrancy acts like some kind of memory eraser, especially once the restless rhythm kicks into the subsequent track, “Too Dramatic.” Ra Ra Riot’s strength is in just how diversified and open their orch pop is. All too often the strings are the driving force behind a band that sports a violinist, but they integrate influences such as blatant ‘80s keyboard tones (“Foolish”) and the type of Afro-pop rhythms and geographical referencing we’ve come to know from Vampire Weekend (“Massachusetts”). Proving the early hype wasn’t a fluke, The Orchard is the kind of well-rounded, syrupy record we’ve come to hope for from the indie pop set.

Best track: “Shadowcasting”

R.I.Y.L. Vampire Weekend, Local Natives, The Morning Benders, Miniature Tigers, Fanfarlo, Stars

Rating: 7/10

Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Download on iTunes.

Sample: “Boy”

Website: RaRaRiot.com