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Onion Review
For some reason, I've been waiting for this review. Just had a feeling it
would show up or something...
http://www.theonionavclub.com/avclub3715/music3715.html#review3
Though the "radio" part of the title of Over The Rhine's new album might
be wishful thinking, the other half of the Films For Radio equation
couldn't be more apt. In more than a decade of existence, the Cincinnati
band has relied more on word of mouth than radio support, building a
dedicated following with albums that always seemed to land in the wrong
place at the wrong time. The group shed members as it evolved musically in
ways its early folk-pop releases never suggested. Now pared down to the
husband-and-wife creative team of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler,
Over The Rhine makes music that sounds custom-made for the montage
sequences of some sweepingly romantic movie that offers no assurance of a
happy ending. Similar in spirit, and occasionally in sound, to the work of
Aimee Mann, Films For Radio offers unapologetically mature pop music that
houses emotions more complex than the first rush of new love or the first
crush of fresh heartbreak. However much they fill out their sound with
drum loops and keyboards, Detweiler and Bergquist maintain an easy sense
of intimacy that safely grounds their new expansiveness in the realm of
human emotion. With its breathless, yearning vocals and sleepy drum loop,
the album-opening "The World Can Wait" may sound a bit like an
alternate-universe James Bond theme, but it works on that level. Much of
the album stays in the same vein, balancing studio fussiness with
sophisticated songwriting that keeps one ear cocked toward the little
touches that make the biggest difference. This willingness to experiment
while maintaining an appealing directness has kept Over The Rhine
interesting, and with Films For Radio the duo has created a set of songs
to savor, via radio or otherwise. --Keith Phipps
O ^ ^ Drew Johnson - djohnson at snowplow_org - Ld Robert Bartholomew )
O(_|_) Looking for the cheese shop since the year 2000 X
O Check out splat.melm.org (monkey at melm_org) & goats.com (drew at goats_com) |
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