Splits are fun. I'm currently doing four or five myself. I can tell you that they are easier to make, but almost more stressful to make at the same time. I can't imagine how odd it must have felt for these bands to only put a handful of songs on a CD with others. But each individual artist, the Rhode Island State Police, Blight, and Your Yellow Dress, shine in their own distinctive ways on this three-way split.
The Rhode Island State Police is from Olney, IL. I've known Logan since the last half of my teenage years. I've seen him play numerous times, and have played shows with him on more than one occasion. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably not be writing this review or playing music. So this release is a little biased and close to my heart. OK, sorry for getting a little mushy, mushy on you. With that being said, let's get on with the actual release. RISP have three songs about going crazy with very pretty guitar work and soothing vocals. If you have heard any previous material from Logan, you'll definitely be able to tell how much his singing and recording abilities have developed since his last few releases. The songs seem to have this haunting tone about them. Maybe it's the samples Logan decided to use or the sparse guitar work on "mountainsmountains", because all of these songs have this almost overly melodramatic tone about them. Maybe it is lyrics like "Because these feelings never change" in "The (Moment) of Clarity" that give the songs those sorts of feelings. Maybe it's the droning feeling of the cello on that song. It's probably all of those things combined that give it that feeling. All of these songs feel like Logan was going insane and instead of committing himself, he decided to write some fantastic tunes. My personal favorite song on this release "this medication" is just as haunting and manic-depressive as the rest of Logan's songs on this release.
Blights songs, while the quality of them is significantly lower than the other two artists; I think that only aids his songs moods. They feel almost too intimate and close to home, but that's definitely a good thing. "Completely Unarmed" feels almost like an early 60's protest song. That's not to say that these songs are protest songs, they are, from what I can tell, lost love; they just feel as intimate as that era's songs feel. "Rapture Wore Sequins" feels just as haunting and intimate as RISP's songs.
The biggest disappointment for me on this split was "Moonlight Dance." This was my first introduction to Your Yellow Dress. I like what the music is doing a lot. The only problem I have is the singer sounds like he could be singing for that band She Wants Revenge. I think I'd be ok with this if it was a consistent basis, but it seems like this is the only song that he has that singing style. "At the Window" is the single instrumental track on this release. The title is aptly fitting. "Hymn for Separated Lovers" sounds much like "Moonlight Dance." Well, at least the instrumentation does. The male and female couplets singing "I love you, I miss you, come back soon" does exactly what this song is meant to do. The trumpet that is appropriately placed at the end of the song completes the longing felt throughout it. "Away From You" is sort of a pop-tinged ukulele song. It feels much like the other songs of Your Yellow Dress's on this release, yet it doesn't get old. The song changes rhythms and moods about halfway through. The electric guitar/ feedback at the end of the song feel rather out of place, and is distracting to the rest of the beautiful instrumentation going on. Even with the things I thought were out of place or overplayed or whatever, I still think that the Your Yellow Dress songs are fun and a pleasure to listen to. I look forward to listening to the rest of their catalog.
Overall this release is a very good release. The Rhode Island State Police tracks make me hopeful and eager to hear more material soon. Blights two intimate songs made me want to listen to Bob Dylan again, and definitely sparked my interest in his music, and Your Yellow Dress's songs perked my musical ears up, and if anything else made me interested enough to look into the rest of their catalogue. If you are looking for distinct and diverse music on a single release, this is definitely for you. If you are looking for good lo-fi music, this release is for you. Hell, if you are looking for songs to help you with your manic-depression, this release is for you. What I'm saying is, if you are reading this review, this release is probably for you. Go buy a hardcopy now or download it from CLLCT. You'll get all the lo-fi goodness that you love.
Download It
Rhode Island State Police Myspace
Blight Myspace
Your Yellow Dress Myspace
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