Ra Ra Riot is one of those bands I first discovered live opening for The Cribs earlier this year at the Double Door back in Chicago, and I was really impressed with their live show. I thought they had a really great stage energy and that they really brought a lot of depth to the songs on their EP that I listened to after seeing them live. They are also one of those bands that has seemed to be everywhere despite having only one EP to their name, kind of like Tokyo Police Club. Well, no longer. Just last week they dropped their debut full length album “The Rhumb Line”, and while it may be a bit of a repeat for those who listened to the EP, it still is a great album, bringing their great brand of upbeat eclectic indie pop with some great strings thrown in there.

Now I mentioned above how this might be a bit of a repeat for those who heard the EP, and that is because most songs on the EP made their way onto this 10 song album. So 4 of the 10 songs here are pretty much lifted straight from the EP. Now, unlike the Black Kids album I just wrote about, nothing here has really changed from EP to album. There are a few new arrangements and additions in there, but the songs retain their same feeling. There are no extensive reworkings or remasters as there were in the Black Kids case.

Now while that is a great thing for those who didn’t hear the EP because 1. the EP was great and 2. the songs are great here to, the one drawback is that for half the songs on this album you have heard them already if you heard the EP. Aside from that issue, they have done quite well here.

The opener on this one is “Ghost Under Rocks”, which I believe closed the EP, and it is still an incredible song here, and possibly still my favorite of theirs. It has a dark sound to it, but has just such a cool rhythm which kind of reminds me of their energy live. I think the album can get a little poppy at times and I seem to remember their live show being a little more energetic and darker, and I think this song really captures that well.

The rest of the songs from the EP come over largely unchanged, and that is not a bad thing. They all still sound great, including “Dying is Fine” and “Each Year”. One of the new ones “Oh La” is a real standout, with another cool driving rhythm and featuring a great interplay of the guitar licks with the string arrangement.

“St. Peter’s Day Festival” is another new one that just sounds absolutely great when listened to in line with the older songs. The same goes for the album closer “Run My Mouth”, which is just a very cool song and I bet will sound absolutely killer live once they get rolling into it. Once again the guitar and strings interplay is just brilliantly done here.

This album is certainly very cool, and I can’t wait to check them out again live soon. While the EP’s influence is strongly felt here on this album, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the new songs fit beautifully in there with them. While the new songs are certainly poppier and the album may not have as rock-y of a feel as the EP, it is still a great debut for these guys and I recommend checking it out.

ALSO, they are on tour this fall with Walter Meego, and you really can’t be the 2-for-1 that this tour has going for it, so you should definitely check them out if you can at all.

BV Rate: 82

Ra Ra Riot – Oh, La – From The Rhumb Line
Ra Ra Riot – Run My Mouth – From The Rhumb Line