Published on Sep 15, 1998
My God, Oasis, Elvis Costello and The La’s all had a baby… and
its name is Rialto.
The British sextet has a keen ear on the pulse of what pop music
should be, and shows on their debut effort that they’ve learned
their lessons well without blatantly copying from any of the
artists named in the
menage a trois above.
What sets Rialto apart immediately for me is the use of two
drummers, a la the Allman Brothers Band, for increased power in the
rhythm backbone. Pete Cuthbert and Anthony Christmas both attack
their kits with gusto, but never try to overpower each other or the
music that Rialto creates – and this, kids, is lesson one on how to
do things right.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Louis Eliot sounds like a calmer version
of Liam Gallagher without any of the annoying, cocky swagger. His
vocal delivery is smooth and powerful, and his songwriting, for the
most part, is quite enjoyable. From the opening moments of “Monday
Morning,” you can tell that this is a band you’re going to want to
pay attention to now and in the future.
Rialto’s sly humor (or is that social commentary at times?) is
evident on tracks like “Broken Barbie Doll” and “Milk Of Amnesia,”
but songs like these don’t sacrifice any quality in place of the
mental pictures they create. This is lesson two on how to do things
right. Likewise, songs like “Dream Another Dream” and “Untouchable”
all constantly maintain their pop craftsmanship while keeping the
listener interested.
Unfortunately, they cannot keep such a high level of
expectations going throughout the entire album; songs like “Lucky
Number” and “When We’re Together” tend to blend together in a happy
pop mush. And maybe I’m just ignorant because I’m an American, but
“Love Like Semtex” is lost on me; anyone who can provide some
information on what I’m missing, comments will be happily welcomed.
Still, the number of miscues on
Rialto are greatly outnumbered by things the band has done
right on this debut effort.
Rialto is an album that could possibly be introducing the
next big name in Britpop. Here’s hoping that American stations and
consumers give them a chance.