IN SPACE THERE IS NO SOUND - Riff Random (Timberyard)
Okay, first of all I gotta say that if you're going to call your band Riff Random shouldn't you sound at least a little bit like the Ramones (as in, Riff Randall )? I'm kinda kidding here but it does seem like an odd 
choice for a band name given that these guys are more in line stylistically with the likes of early Jesus and Mary Chain and (especially) the Spaceman 3/Spiritualized axis. That's fine, too, of course, since those are pretty decent jumping-off points for a group that is clearly intent on making some primal psychedelic guitar-centric rock and roll.
The first thing that strikes me about Riff Random is that lead singer Raph Brous has a really good, strong voice and he makes judicious use (though not over-use and that is crucial) of some well-timed "woo's", yelps and other iconic vocal ad-libs. I love that stuff! The second thing is that the guitars on this album sometimes need to be louder. They seem a little reigned-in, a little too under control. Music like this actually really benefits from big, epic production so don't be shy about that next time boys. Finally, I would suggest
that these guys are at their best when they're rockin' out as opposed to getting all slow and trippy but maybe that's just my personal taste.
After a fairly nondescript opening number, things pick up considerably on "The Television is Lying", a rather storming tune which definitely nods in the direction of the aforementioned Spiritualized and does so with panache. "Dead Eyes" follows and it's no slouch either- again, the influences are pretty evident (early Primal Scream and Brian Jonestown Massacre here) but some nice guitar work really makes the song. "Let Yourself Go" is a little generic but things pick back up with "Shut Up and Dance", which sounds decidedly more New York than London or Manchester (and that's seldom a bad thing).
As for the rest: "Hot Kids" - not bad but disappointing considering what a great title that is. I was hoping this would be the anthemic centrepiece of the album. "Every Look Has Been Done" represents a bit of a departure in that it incorporates that Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart" speeding hi-hat type of beat.
"In My Heart", the closer, sounds like Ride or Swervedriver or any number of other 90's shoegazer bands and doesn't really stand out. What does, though ,is the hidden bonus track which follows it: certainly the punkest ( and most overtly N.Y. ) thing on the album and, to my mind, the direction Riff Random should be heading in. It's what they do best.
- Andrew Molloy
LOW
IS HIGH - Riff Random (Timberyard Records)
Riff
Random spent much of 2004 touring internationally. By all reports their shows
in the US and the UK (many of them festival gigs) went down a treat. They've
now returned to our fair shores to promote their recent
EP release, "Low is High".
Riff Random's general sonic aesthetic pays homage to The Stone Roses, Jesus
and Mary Chain, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre and
Sonic Youth. Raph Brous' vocals has that disaffected style that UK post punks
perfected in the 1980s, and 1990s UK indie pop bands pretended (aided and
abetted by the delirious UK music press) was new and original. Brous and Glen
Preston's guitars have a jangly psychedelic pop edge that produces many spiralling
guitar moments (notably on Hot Kids, which deviates from a pop foundation
toward a lengthy, meandering guitar break before returning before self-indulgence
sets in).
The opening track, "In My Heart", sets a pattern of fuzzy psych
guitars played with deliberate restraint that's followed for the rest of the
EP. There's a slight contrast with the tone of "Let Yourself Go"
(where Brous' vocals are particularly earnest) and "Calm Down" which
exhibit a more pop, catchy sort of sound.
Not surprisingly, the EP was produced by Lindsay Gravina and Ben Lurie from
Jesus and Mary Chain (initial publicity suggested Dean Turner from Magic Dirt
was going to produce the EP; the liner details list Turner as providing 'additional
production'). The production itself is without obvious criticism; thankfully
the psych-stained guitars get appropriate visibility against Brous' vocals.
Last time I saw Riff Random live they were let down by a very ordinary sound
(responsibility for which lay at the feet of the venue, not the band). This
EP is well worth contemplation – played live (at a venue sympathetic
to the band's sound), the songs take on a much more captivating feel. The
band's debut album should be worth equal consideration. -
Patrick Emery
3/4