Railer - 'Frame Of Mind' (Resolute)
4/5
By: Toby L
Alaska: one hell of a big state in America, yet one which hasn't shared much of its alternative music with the rest of us to date. As a result, one could presume that its distance from many of the more commercial sectors in the world would allow it to be slightly cut off perhaps, maybe a bit left out? Well, such an assumption certainly doesn't seem to possess much truth when taking into account Railer and their debut LP, 'Frame Of Mind'.
Born and located within the icy north of the USA, the five-piece guitar-cum-electronica act primarily deal in epic, moody pop, sharing musical-ideas with the likes of Depeche Mode and Bowie - albeit, with a chilling sound that occasionally proves even more edgy.
The era and tone is 80s throughout; indeed, the self-produced atmospherics are as hauntingly alike anything else created during the period - though, what with the emergence amidst certainly the UK of acts such as Fischerspooner and all-girl groups sampling Gary Numan in order to score number-one singles, admittedly, it seems that now is the time to return to the planet of big, permed hairdos and chunky cell-phones... And, if there is to be such a return, then you can't find a better accompanying soundtrack than this.
'Frame Of Mind' is only a ten-track record, and this is where it thrives - confining the consistently tuneful and utterly infectious alt-indie to a minor track-listing. Opening with the soaring 'Blues Versus The Stars', instantly noticeable is the magic uniqueness of Randall Scott's voice, whose vocal-display is only similar to that of Paul Draper, frontman of UK-combo, Mansun. However, far more intriguing arguably are the following numbers - the thrillingly haunting 'Kiss Fix', razor-sharp guitars of 'Crossing The Line' and engagingly memorable chorus of 'Déjà Vu'; only a downbeat and soothing 'Theory As To What Is Beautiful', which arrives next, can mellow the excitement so excruciatingly well. It's fair to say that, by this point, however, the album has reached its summit; although the latter tracks, 'Minor Dream' and the finale of 'When I See You Again' (a most likely prospect when addressing the playing of this CD in repeat-functions in the near future), stir a similar rousing effect, the chances are that you'll have experienced the album's peak.
Still, for a debut-effort, recorded in humble surroundings and by the band themselves, this is exemplary - a complete triumph, evident of ability over budget and talent over hype, possessive of song-writing skills lacking from many of those top artists currently at the paramount position of their careers.
As the accompanying press-release for this album states, 'Alaska is definitely happening' - taking Railer as a judgement of such a proclamation, you know that this really must be the case.
Artists in this article: Railer
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