Band: Raining And OK
Title: Living Like A Ghost
Label: N/A
Release Date: June 22, 2010
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Living Like A Ghost
- Safety Net
- Waited Long Enough
- Anchor
- Northbound
Let me first say that, much like Mark Twain or Marcus Luttrell, the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I’m still around. Still trolling the site periodically. And even still listening to music from time to time. Truth be told, my wife and I just got back from an extended trip to southern California and the last thing on my mind has been writing. But now that I’m back and the post-vacation blues are starting to wear off, I figure it’s high time to get back in the saddle. Good news to all the bands that have been sending me music recently and I certainly appreciate their patience.
So first up is a new 5-song EP from a band I’ve been following for quite a while. Raining and OK is a 4-piece from the Grand Canyon State of Arizona. Calling Phoenix home, these guys play a mellow rock flavored with hints of pop sensibility. Their sound is comparable to the likes of Turn Off The Stars, Sleepaway, and early Lost Ocean. That last reference alone should win them some new fans since there’s been a small uproar over Lost Ocean’s recent change in sound. At any rate, Raining and OK is more than capable of drawing fans on their own and this new EP proves that fact once again.
Not without it’s flaws, the CD’s chalked full of alt-piano-rock at it’s best. It’s at once ethereal and highly accessible. To put that into real life terms… the music is thoughtful and yet easy to get into. Which is always good, because so many bands these days are one or the other, or neither… but we won’t get into that now.
The standout track on the EP for me was the title track “Living Like A Ghost”. Starting off with a bit of a Future of Forestry vibe, it quickly settles into it’s own groove and carries you along with a tangible sincerity. Believe it or not, this song challenged me a whole lot more than I’m used to. More in fact than I’m comfortable admitting in an album review. And one of the things that really stood out was how well this song’s message transitioned into the next. “Living Like A Ghost” is basically a challenge to take some risks and trust God for eternal impact in the world. Heady stuff. A little sobering too. But then track two, “Safety Net”, solidifies the challenge with the promise that God will undergird us and protect us in all that we attempt for Him. Am I reading too much into it? Maybe. But that’s the way it hit me. And hit it did. Like a Greyhound bus. It’s not often these days that I come away from a CD asking myself tough questions about the direction my life is headed. And, hey, what else is music for than to be subjective to the listener?
Just in case you’re deaf and won’t be able to listen to the EP yourself, here are part of the lyrics to the opening track “Living Like A Ghost”. They may not touch you like they did me, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate them in some way none-the-less, “oh, I feel so stuck / I’m out of luck / I live just once / I wanna be alive / oh, if my days / come to an end / is my time well spent / I wanna be alive tonight / I’m breaking out of my grave now / I’m singing to be saved now / I’m living like a ghost tonight / my bones are broke and shattered / the pain it never mattered / I’m feeling like a ghost inside / this time I will survive / this time I will revive / bring me back to life / bring me back to life / I’m dead inside / I’m singing out”.
Overall: It seems fitting that as I’m putting the finishing touches on this review and preparing to post it to the site that it’s raining out. And, yeah, I’m okay with that. Anyway, if you’re into the alt-rock genre and bands that actually have something to say to their audience, Raining and OK is for you. They’re consistently solid musically and genuinely impacting lyrically. And that’s a novel combination. So take some time and check out their new EP “Living Like A Ghost”, you won’t regret it.
www.myspace.com/rainingandok