Little Red Rocket
It’s in the Sound
Monolyth
Venturing into the musical territory where the likes of Belly, that dog, or Veruca Salt once reigned, Athens, GA’s Little Red Rocket churns out a pleasing blend of pop-rock fronted with pretty female vocals. There’s more heft and experimentation to this, their second album, than what was found on the band’s pleasant debut on Tim/Kerr three years ago. Major band changes might have had something to do with it: since then the band was dropped in a label “merge ‘n’ purge,” moved from Birmingham to Athens, and picked up a new rhythm section. Fortunately the band changes have led to positive results for the listener.
The songs are tighter and meatier, effectively weaving an edgy sound with new elements such as pianos, trumpets, xylophones, and cello throughout their mix. The harder edge is no doubt due in part to the acquisition of the more bombastic rhythm section consisting of drummer Scott Sosebee (Japancakes) and Jax Ferguson (Big Atomic). Despite these new directions, the musical core still hovers around the soothing harmonies and gorgeous pop music structures of frontwomen Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Their melodies are infectious – check out “Lies,” “California,” and “I Believe in What You Do” – and the music is nicely mixed so that individual parts stand out clearly.
While the attractive faces in this band certainly won’t hurt them, Little Red Rocket has proven with this aptly titled record that they are a band worth hearing, not just seeing.
Monolyth Record Group, P.O. Box 990980, Boston, MA 02199-0980, http://www.monolyth.com, http://www.littleredrocket.com
