Band: Royal City Riot
Country: USA
Notable Album: Coast To Coast
Favourite Song: Myrtle Avenue
I've been up for 10 hours and I'm exhausted. Luckily, my pun-making skills stay sharp no matter what my state of mind, and so the title for the blog is yet another representation of exquisite wit. Are you bored of my letter puns yet? If not, good! If so, I'm just going to pretend you love them. Does anyone even read this? I feel scatterbrained tonight. Must have been the pumpkin pasta (I KNOW RIGHT? IT'S A THING! WHO KNEW?) and the carrot soup - too many veggies in one meal and things can go very wrong. Anyways, ska time.
I was very tempted (almost pressured!) to write this blog post for Reel Big Fish, but I figured that they were probably too well-known to write about them. That's the same reason why I wrote about Los Furios instead of Less Than Jake for the letter "L." Still, I highly recommend taking a moment to listen to Trendy by Reel Big Fish and appreciate how awesome they are. But Royal City Riot takes the spotlight this evening for their album Coast To Coast. This is the second album from these Long Island skankers, and it's significantly different than their first - but not in a way that's easy to describe. I suppose it's a more mature sound (too much maturity talk recently, it makes me feel immature) more than a distinct change, but in any case it's a very impressive album. Tight horns, some sweet keys, a good mix of swing-ska, trad-ska, rocksteady, smooth reggae, and Jesse's distinctively superb singing voice all make this album a real treat for the ears. A few of the songs start to sound similar after a while, but if you can get past that, then this is a great album for any ska or reggae fan.
As a side note, It's now 11:30 and this is all I've written. I started at 10. I am ridiculously distracted tonight.
Myrtle Avenue was an easy choice tonight for this album, but it's definitely not the only song I like on this album. It's a toned-down, reggae track that has a very interesting feel to it. Jesse sings about life in Long Island, and how he's torn between the serenity outside of New York and the bustle and business within it. Myrtle Avenue a great track to listen to in any mood - it's not too fast, not too slow, just a ballad to a place that will always be considered home. It's interesting how a song like this can be applicable to anyone, even though we may not come from Long Island or New York. There's a hint of nostalgia - a hope that living there now will be like it was in the past, or that there's a chance to relive the memories that were created there - and anyone who comes back home after time away will understand that (I know I do). There's comfort as well - sort of like a return to the known after years of new experiences - and it's this sort of "returning home" idea that really makes the song what it is. For anyone who wants a calm, almost soothing song to listen to, then Myrtle Avenue's the song for you. If you want some great upbeat ska, check out The Rhythm or Fire. From their other album (Whatever You Please) you can listen to Where You Been, The Extra Mile, or Too Tight for some great tracks.
It's 12:15. I'm going to take a nice long nap now. Letter "S" will be up tomorrow night - come back then! Or come back earlier and read my other posts. Or comment on this and tell me what you think. Or buy the Royal City Riot albums here. Or also nap like me. Really, the possibilities are endless.
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