Rainer Maria: Catastrophe Keeps Us Coming Back
Rainer Maria are one of those bands that you keep going back to. The band had three incredible, down-to-earth records to their credit that reflected their grass-roots formation. In 2003 they made a push to go big-time with "Long Knives Drawn", a "cross-over" to the mainstream with the single "Ears Ring". I never got into it. Lucky for us it failed.
The fact is Rainer Maria didn't achieve the main-stream success they were looking for, but we are able to celebrate the return of the Rainer Maria we grew up with.
This show was also a celebration of sorts for myself, as it was my last day at my old job, and marked our imminent departure from Beaverton. Our old friend the Polish Gypsy also made it up for the show.
We missed most of the first act, John Weinland, after getting mildly lost on our way to the trendy [Doug Fir Lounge]. The group seemed really good with a bit of a country twang, which I'm a sucker for. From the two songs I caught they had shades of [The Eels] about them, and they're from Portland, so they are obviously very talented.
The second act, [Ambulette], had me worried after taking forever to set up, one of my top warning signs that a band is going to be crap. Once they did start, I wasn't sure what to make of lead singer Maura Davis' voice. Was the vibrato brilliance or annoyance? I came down somewhere in the middle, more in the ball park of early Gwen Stephani (before she did hip-hop). I have to say I did enjoy their set despite their final song which was kind of a long-winded and predictable tune.
Rainier Maria emerged to the stage with some pre-recorded, moody ambient guitars, which also happened to be the intro of their title track of their new album "Catastrophe Keeps Us Together". I don't know about you, but I have mixed feelings about new songs at concerts. Afterall, you pay your money to hear the hits, but you're always happy that an artist is still creating. Rainer Maria play a pretty good mix overall, though I would have liked to have heard more "Better Version of Me" tunes.
Thankfully, their new album is a solid rock album, enjoyable from first listen, and marks a firm recovery from "Long Knives Drawn". The songs are unique and new enough, but still have the signature Rainer Maria sound. From the first time I heard, "Life of Leisure" I can't help of busting into A-Ha's "Take On Me" (the chorus is a dead ringer). The album could be a bit more cohesive, it bounces around a bit and doesn't completely find its voice. But there are lots of great tunes emanating from this record.
The show's encore was a chance for the band to play two of my favorites, Artificial Light, and Tin Foil. The latter of these left me with nothing more than a wrasp for a voice, which was just enough to ask for a copy of their new album, which I can now firmly recommend.
Rainier Maria return to Portland on Saturday, August 26 with The Format. A good time to be had by all.
| June 14, 2006 by carobert | 2 comments |
Your Comments / Additions
My first P-town concert in some years, I owe it to carobert for the invite. I do have to stray from his opinions of Long Knives Drawn however. There are indeed some songs that don't excite me on this album, but there are a couple I do enjoy very much, including Ears Ring and Long Knives Drawn. To each their own,...
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