 The
Ralph Jones Band
"Drowning in Kentucky" CD
State
Bird Records
Genres: indie rock
e-mail
the band
Aug 18 - 24 2003 |
Hot
off the heels of the terrific Hilltop Distillery debut,
Kentucky-based Commonwealth Audio has produced a whole new album from
a whole new band. Drowning in Kentucky is an indie rock record
of sorts; grungy, guitar-heavy rock and sparser, pretty pop share the
stage on the album's nine track.
"100 Points" starts off as a catchy, My Pal God-esque
math rock tune set over a women's voice reading aloud the point
allotments of a purity test. It's a catchy number that effectively
exemplifies The Ralph Jones Band's sound in two and a half
minutes. "Leaving," meanwhile, is a delicate pop tune with
an adorable side to it. "I am a Hunter and a Scientist," is
catchy anti-melody with mere sighing replacing what would be expected
to be a chorus. "Temptress," on the other hand, is dark pop
noir with minor key guitars and brooding vocals and "Lately"
and "Potato Shine" are alt-country of the absurd.
Altogether, this is a creative, inventive indie rock album with
some really catchy, yet unconventional tunes. Lots of this music is
not unlike that released by the Fort Hazel label, utilizing minor key
melodies and discordant ideas to infectious effect. Nice.
83%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 9 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
