Feature: Ramona Falls

So, with the adage in mind that brevity is the soul of wit, I'll keep this short and to the point:

Ramona Falls's album "Intuit" is easily one of the greatest albums I've heard in a long, long time.

"But how's that possible?" you might ask. "I thought music like that was a myth these days...like unicorns, and 12 grain bread that doesn't taste like squirrels?"

I was beginning to think so too, but apparently I was being preemptively cynical. The closest analogy I can think of for what listening to this album has been like is probably like the first time you heard an amazing indie pop song (it could've been the Pixies, or Franz Ferdinand's "Dark of the Matinee", or it could've not) and were astounded that such amazing music could exist without you knowing about it (before you got all jaded and contracted that nasty case of elitism). Or maybe the first time you heard "Perfect From Now On" by Built to Spill on vinyl and got the shivers, so excited that you just wanted to tell everyone on Earth about it. Y'know, until you remembered that you had no indie friends. Or even that time you saw Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes live and realized that probably nothing in your life would ever top seeing Spencer play the opening riff of "Swimming" like a madman possessed by the ghost of another madman.

It's kinda something like that, but even more so because it's probably been ages since you felt so excited and genuinely moved and passionate about an album. An album with not just an all-around great showing and a few songs that make you nerd out, but where almost every song makes you want to actually update that music blog you've been ignoring off-and-on for ages.

Ramona Falls is one third of Menomena (Brent Knopf), as well as a stellar showing of Portland's musical talent, all rolled into possibly the greatest thing on Barsuk other than Menomena itself. And even then, it's a close contest.

I hate to hype, but every once in a while, it's worth it. And who knows, I could come to regret it later, but just for now, I'm going to believe in unicorns and the existence of healthy bread that doesn't taste like a hermit's beard and go with my gut on this one.


~Ju

Ramona Falls
video of "I Say Fever" (also the only song I've played that has had everyone CONSISTENTLY ask me what it is within minutes of hearing it)
on Myspace Music
on the Web

P.S: the new Menomena is out now as well; worth checking out
on Myspace Music
on the Web