The Ravishers - The Ravishers
2011, Timber Carnival Records
Portland, Oregon rockers TheRavishers are about to invade your ear space. Catchy tunes, well-honedsongwriting and an acute attention to detail help The Ravishers grab yourattention; the energy of their lives shows maintains that attention and turnsit into ardor. It's no surprise that some of that energy should carry over intoThe Ravishers, the band's full-length debut album. Comprised ofwriter/vocalist Dominic Castillo, guitarist Jonathan Barker and a rotating castof characters, The Ravishers appear ready to turn the Pacific Northwest upsidedown and head out to conquer America.
The Ravishers set out with "I'm Him"; a song sounds like itcould have been co-written by Lyle Lovett and Elvis Costello. Low key butcatchy, the song mixes a vague Americana sound with distinctive popsensibility. "You Have It" mixes a quiet, singer/songwriter stylewith wonderfully jangly guitar-rock sounds. Don't expect to escape this songfor the rest of the day once it's entered your brain. "The Chase"gets caught up in its own repetition, while "Cruel Love" is a bedrockalbum track dealing with the cycle of being lost in unrequited love."Underachievers" is an intriguing musical allegory of itself. Thearrangement is almost haphazard and messy; not ambitious enough to be calledGarage Rock but certainly showing the intent.
"Keep You Around" is ahalf-enthused love song, with an intriguing alto voice joining the mix. The mixof voices works well over the minimalist rock arrangement. "My Thoughts OfKillers" are a catchy, yet low-key bit of anti-pop madness. The guitarpart becomes more and more disconnected as the song progresses, with the entiresong deconstructing into disparate parts at the end. "Lesson InLeaving" features an anachronistic arrangement that intrigues with strongguitar work. The Ravishers plod their way through "How I Feel AboutYou", but recover with the impressive pop song craft of "Nobody FallsIn Love Anymore". The chorus here is absolutely amazing, and the melody ofthis hidden gem shines. The Ravishers close solidly with "Happening",an intensely driven yet reserved rocker that's big on energy but constrained indelivery.
Mainstream media and pop outletstend to ignore Indie pop and rock acts in favor of the canned drivel that isoften the result of major label recording contracts, but The Ravishers aregoing to be hard to ignore. The Ravishers put a bit of the fun back into rockand roll, and as musical talents they are definitely on the map. TheRavishers has its moments of musical pleasure and pain, but this is thesort of debut that builds anticipation for the future.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
Learn more at www.ravisherstheband.com or www.myspace.com/ravishers.
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