Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

When ra ra riot took the stage at Washington D.C.’s Rock ‘N Roll Hotel Tuesday night opening for Tokyo Police Club, they didn’t seem like they should be opening for anybody. While the youthful six-piece outfit includes electric cello and violin they have a powerful, edgy rock sound. On stage they seem like that family taking up the large booth at Ruby Tuesdays that gets along too well. They share (instruments), exchange smiles, and even tussle each other’s hair (no joke). Yes, the stage at the RNR Hotel seemed a bit two small for any energetic 6-piece, but ra ra’s sound seemed just too big for the venue. They out-played the headliners, who seemed tired and lacked variety, delivering an aggressive set with no filler. With just one official release, a six-track ep that will leave you wanting more, ra ra riot are a band you should be keeping tabs on starting now.

“Can you tell” is a bass-driven soliloquy, beautifully meshed with violin and keyboards. “A Manner to Act” showcases the band’s ability to juxtapose heavy rock riffs with dancing string parts. Lead singer Wesley Miles, too, is subtle at times, holding nothing back by the end of the track.

Listen to “Can you tell” (4.9/5)
Listen to “A manner to act” (4.8/5)

Photos taken by Alex

I want to do something a bit different for CSV since there seems to be a sudden flood of great new music and videos. Since summer is fast approaching, I thought I would cancel the class reading for today. However, I still expect you all to look over this concise study guide. It’s so easy some might call it cheating! You might want to put it on the inside of your nalgene or program it into your ti-89 or something clever like that for the test. Just don’t get caught!

The Video Countdown:
5. Tokyo Police Club – “Cheer it On”
4. Beastie Boys – “Off the Grid”
3. Spoon – “The Ghost of You Lingers”
2. Mutemath – “Typical” check out the making of the video
1. The Chemical Brothers – “Do it Again”

The mp3 Countdown
5. Rocky Votolato – “Postcard from Kentucky”
4. Travis – “Selfish Jean”
3. White Rabbits – “The Plot”
2. The National – “Fake Empire”
1. Elliott Smith – “High Times”

Extra Credit: The Basement – “I Just Caught a Face”

If you’re just so studious that you can’t bear taking a day off from the required reading check the archives. There has to be something you missed. Cheers!