| Rating |
Summary |
|
| 4 by Rolling Stone |
Last summer, not long after Ra Ra Riot released a promising EP, their drummer, John Ryan Pike, drowned in the ocean after a show in Massachusetts. His death weighs heavily on their excellent full-leng... |
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| n/a by www.ew.com |
The upstate New York quintet's assured performances act as a suitable memorial [to Pike]. [22/29 Aug 2008, p.122] |
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| n/a by www.boston.com |
The Rhumb Line--defined as a straight-shot line across all meridians, for the geospatially uninitiated--mostly just thrums with an uncommon sort of pop radiance. |
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| n/a by Pitchfork Media |
It's rare for a band to survive the death of a key member, but Ra Ra Riot are actually thriving, turning The Rhumb Line from a potential what could've been record into a rousing, poignant testament to Pike's life and his former bandmates' resilience. |
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| n/a by www.spin.com |
Anchored by four tracks from a previous EP that were re-recorded with the hooks highlighted, this nimble full-length wrings catharsis from pop with no lapses into pretension. |
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| n/a by www.slantmagazine.com |
Counting a violinist and cellist among their ranks, Ra Ra Riot has fashioned a gritty yet polished post-punk sound fit for a Sofia Coppola film. |
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| n/a by www.noripcord.com |
The Rhumb Line is at times moody and downtrodden, but it's Ra Ra Riot's ability to pull out of those situations that saves the album. |
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| n/a by www.avclub.com |
Mildness and friendliness help things flow along so nicely, in fact, that The Rhumb Line softens the impact of generally nuanced and energetic songwriting. |
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| n/a by www.prefixmag.com |
You wont hear anything on The Rhumb Line you havent heard before, but that doesnt prevent it from being one of the years best debuts. |
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| n/a by www.nowtoronto.com |
Rhumb Line gives the impression that mostly good things are ahead. |
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| n/a by www.pastemagazine.com |
The ship does not capsize; The Rhumb Line instead drops anchor as a solid debut that beckons refinement and experimentation further down its course. |
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| n/a by Popmatters |
While the first five songs on The Rhumb Line are uniformly strong, the album starts to lose its momentum just after cresting the halfway point. |
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