« Annuals | Main | The 1900s »
Rahim
(We featured this artist last year; here's a reprint of that entry.)
Three-piece Rahim, from New York city, are signed to Frenchkiss Records and play in the style of DC-born post-punk. Once those facts are out in the open, it's easy to guess at what Rahim might or should sound like. Les Savy Fav are an obvious reference point for Rahim (other easy or lazy comparisons: Q and Not U, Black Eyes, Fugazi), but instead of Tim Harrington's verbal barrage and penchant for spectacle, Rahim demonstrate a keen sense of restrain and a wickedly smart way with words and multi-part, buttery smooth vocals, not to mention the occasional orchestral flourish and spare but still gorgeous instrumentation.
Their debut album Ideal Lives veers from where the Jungles EP tread, with airy, literate post-punk with a heart of pop. They're a rare find in an era of way too many disco-dance-post-punk clones. How else can I explain the lush beauty of the backup "yeah, yeah"s and sustained organ in "Forever Love"? Sure, there's angular guitar lines and jittery drums, but also an appreciation of history and cliches. You won't find an abundance of copy-cat hi-hat nor a thousand guitar solos put in for the sake of creating complexity; Rahim's brainy songs are smooth, well-oiled machines: fully-formed, perfectly buffed into perfection, the moving parts all moving in harmony. And never fear, they do know how to rock out when appropriate. It's a shame Rahim are perhaps New York's most slept-on band -- this genre rarely, if never, sounds quite as good.
Rahim - Forever Love
Rahim - Only Pure
Rahim's official site. Buy Ideal Lives from Amazon or iTunes.
Posted by Queen of the Front Row at 02.24.07 at 7:15 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Please note: songs are only kept online for a short period of time.
Some HTML is allowed. You may use these tags: a href, b, i, br /, p, strong, em, ul, ol, li, blockquote, pre.
