Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
When Ra Ra Riot released The Rhumb Line in 2008, they sounded like a thinking man’s pop band: quirky, melodic, and unconventionally chic, with a small string section that lent a sense of sophistication to the band’s sound. They wrote straightforward songs and performed them with complex arrangements, each member limiting his or her own parts to allow room for the cello, violin, and guitar lines to breathe. On their sophomore effort, though, the musicians sound a little too bogged down by their own cleverness. The Orchard is like The Rhumb Line without the poppy punch; it’s brainy and classy, but it requires its audience to put their own thinking caps instead of their dancing shoes. Individually speaking, the bandmates all sound stronger this time around. Bassist Mathieu Santos plays his instrument like he’s part of the string section, darting his way up and down the scale while still rooting the chords, and frontman Wes Miles sings like an indie choir boy raised on Smiths records. Something happens when all the pieces fit together, though, and the result is a knotted record on which the highlights (“Too Dramatic,” “Shadowcasting”) are split up by less kinetic songs. Maybe the guys have started looking to their contemporaries for influence -- “Massachusetts” couldn’t sound more like Vampire Weekend if it wore an Oxford shirt and graduated from Columbia -- or maybe they purposely set out to create a headier, introspective, and altogether more challenging record. In either event, The Orchard doesn’t go down as easily as The Rhumb Line did, even though it still has some satisfying moments.
© Andrew Leahey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Rostam Batmanglij, Composer, Lyricist - Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Alexandra Nicole Lawn, Composer, Lyricist - Milo A Bonacci, Composer, Lyricist - Wesley Richard Miles, Composer, Lyricist - Mathieu Jordan Santos, Composer, Lyricist - Rebecca Alexandra Zeller, Composer, Lyricist
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Ra Ra Riot, MainArtist - Sparks/Russell Mael, Composer
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Album review
When Ra Ra Riot released The Rhumb Line in 2008, they sounded like a thinking man’s pop band: quirky, melodic, and unconventionally chic, with a small string section that lent a sense of sophistication to the band’s sound. They wrote straightforward songs and performed them with complex arrangements, each member limiting his or her own parts to allow room for the cello, violin, and guitar lines to breathe. On their sophomore effort, though, the musicians sound a little too bogged down by their own cleverness. The Orchard is like The Rhumb Line without the poppy punch; it’s brainy and classy, but it requires its audience to put their own thinking caps instead of their dancing shoes. Individually speaking, the bandmates all sound stronger this time around. Bassist Mathieu Santos plays his instrument like he’s part of the string section, darting his way up and down the scale while still rooting the chords, and frontman Wes Miles sings like an indie choir boy raised on Smiths records. Something happens when all the pieces fit together, though, and the result is a knotted record on which the highlights (“Too Dramatic,” “Shadowcasting”) are split up by less kinetic songs. Maybe the guys have started looking to their contemporaries for influence -- “Massachusetts” couldn’t sound more like Vampire Weekend if it wore an Oxford shirt and graduated from Columbia -- or maybe they purposely set out to create a headier, introspective, and altogether more challenging record. In either event, The Orchard doesn’t go down as easily as The Rhumb Line did, even though it still has some satisfying moments.
© Andrew Leahey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:36
- Main artists: Ra Ra Riot
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Ra Ra Riot LLC
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2020 Ra Ra Riot LLC
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.