John Ralston preview

John Ralston
Schubas, Chicago
Thursday, February 21, 2008

Like the wolf brigade of recent times (Wolf Parade, Wolf Eyes, Wolfmother), is a vampire resurgence on the rise? Vampire Weekend already have the indie press tied up in knots and now John Ralston’s sophomore release, Sorry Vampire (Vagrant), follows suit. The South Florida native didn’t leave an instrument, electrical blip, or multi-tracked vocal unturned on his follow-up to 2005’s sparse, home-spun affair, Needle Bed. That debut took about five days to record, where this latest offering kept Ralston in the studio for about three years. And the prolonged effort is clearly audible.

Enlisting the help of friends David Vandervelde and Wilco alum Jay Bennett, Ralston delivers a gorgeous collection of songs that veer more on the side of melancholic weepiness than full-blown heartbreak. On “Lessons I & II,” Ralston channels his inner Elliott Smith and sings with a breathy detachment remarkably similar to the late artist. “Ghetto Tested” benefits from the orchestra-size layers Ralston painstakingly concocted out of violins, Mellotron, organs, bells, and clamoring guitars.

“No One Loves You Like I Do” and “Second Hand Lovers” pack a one-two punch of swirling harmonies and crystalline crescendos. Ralston purposely recorded the album “intentionally quieter” to bring out the dynamism of the instrumentation and even co-founded non-profit Turn Me Up! in response to the so-called “loudness wars.” The aural details embedded in the latter two compositions make the consistent volume knob turning worth it.

Ralston opens for Limbeck. Mock Orange and The New Fronteirs open.

— Janine Schaults

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly