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Tag: Music Review

  • Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet

    Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet

    Album: Diminishing Returns

    Artist: Runaway Ricochet

    Release: April 30, 2024; Ska Punk International

    I have no idea if this is actually true, but someone once told me that when recording an album, Coheed and Cambria maps each song out on a giant white board, painstakingly planning out each part of the song in intimate detail. With the release of “Diminishing Returns” by Minneapolis Ska Punk Band, Runaway Ricochet, you can not convince me that they didn’t also do this.

    Don’t believe me? Take “Anchor” for example, it starts out as a very ska punk styled song. By the end, you have gone through a wild ride that includes a horn part that is absolutely amazing and a part that I can only describe as a jazzy synth piano. This musical romp, coupled with the lyrics that speak to the dealing with the struggles of life and learning to make the best of it rather than trying to wait them out, set high expectations for the rest of the album. By far one of the strongest album openers, I have heard in a long time. The vocal performance in the songs: “Make it Out” and “Faint Love Song” are both exceptional. The delivery of the hooky bits of the choruses is where they really shine for me. They are gold tier ear worms. I kid you not, there was a point while I was writing this review that my wife threatened to move out if she heard me sing, “This baby bird hasn’t learned to fly” one more time. Frankly, I don’t blame her either it was stuck in my head bad, and I wasn’t doing those lyrics any justice at all as I am a terrible singer. “Chorale of the Grove” is an instrumental horn piece that was an unexpected, but very welcomed inclusion on the album. It’s smooth and upbeat with a little bit of vague nostalgia mixed in. Dare I say it is rather beautiful. My only criticism of it is that it is not long enough. Hopefully Runaway Ricochet will have more of this type of song in store for us in the future.

    This album has so much good stuff going on that even though I have almost exclusively been listening to it while writing this review, a countless number of times, I don’t really feel like a have completely “heard” everything the album has to offer. It is an incredibly detailed, intricately constructed work of art. I honestly struggle to come up with the words to describe it. I think the best I can do is this analogy: Prog Rock, Ska, Punk and Jazz started a polycule then they all decided to collectively raise Ska Punk’s child. That kid grew up to become Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet.

    This review was originally posted on June 13, 2024 on the Lonely Ghost Records Community Blog.

  • Bri Earned the Power of Self Respect by Brianna Carmel

    Bri Earned the Power of Self Respect by Brianna Carmel

    Album: Bri Earned the Power of Self Respect

    Artist: Brianna Carmel

    Released: May 24, 2024; Self Release

    Brianna Carmel is one of the hardest working people in DIY that you might not have heard of.  I think that is a shame. Their roots lay deep in the Sacramento DIY scene and they are a member of the bands “Blooming Heads” and “Little Tiny Knife” as well as having their own solo project. So with the release of their new EP I hope you take a moment to get acquainted with their work.

    This EP is pure Ukulele driven indie rock with a little bit of chiptune and a punk attitude sprinkled in as a treat. It’s a fun listen even if the lyrics get a little heavy at times. The name “Bri Earned the Power of Self-Respect” is a reference to Scott Pilgrim vs the World and it is very fitting for the namesake song as well as the album as a whole. In honor of this, and if y’all will indulge me, I am now going to review every song in this EP as if it were the chapter of a Manga because aside from giving off Scott Pilgrim vibes, the EP tells a story that lends itself well to this style of review.

    Chapter 1- My True Self (Stupid, A Mess, Etc.)

    The story begins and we find our hero full of self doubt, fear and worry. They worry that they might not have what it takes to truly thrive. Things are starting out pretty low for our hero

    Chapter 2- Fool Me Once

    I am not going to sugar coat this one folks, things are looking pretty bleak for our hero. They just ran into a pair of absolute villains who I’ll call the 2 evil dudes and it did not go well. Despite this, our hero did learn some things about themself that will likely come in handy later.

    Chapter 3- Bri Earned the Power of Self Respect.

    This is definitely our hero’s plus ultra moment. They have finally leveled up got the power they need to get control of their life and become the person they always wanted to be.

    Epilogue- One Year Later/Born Again

    Turns out even with a superpower, life is still hard, but now our hero has the confidence and tools they need to work through that struggle. They know that eventually everything is going to be okay. Someday.

    Oh, if you were wondering, my favorite song is the title track. Turns out my praise can be bought with a chiptune, engaging vocal performance, and an empowering message. Honorable mention also goes to “One Year Later/Born Again”. I think it is all too easy and very common especially for the sake of telling a complete and finished story to fall into the trap of pretending that all anyone needs is that one moment of standing up for themselves. After that everything automagically fixes itself. This song manages to avoid that trap by clearly stating the reality that working towards your best life will always be hard. Yet it still ends beautifully on an extremely hopeful note.

    Everything about this EP is top notch! The emotionally raw storytelling of this EP really makes it stand out. It is definitely one of those EPs that you must listen to from beginning to end to really soak it in completely. It is very self reflective and sometimes brutally honest. Definitely the sincerest EP I’ve listened to so far this year.

    This review was originally posted on May 30, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.