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Case Western Reserve University

FILMS FOR RADIO
Over the Rhine succeed by staying true to themselves

by Jason Lustig, A&E Editor
February 2001

Over the Rhine's previous CD was self recorded and self released. It also happens to be their biggest success to date, but it almost didn't happen. The indie band from Cincinnati was just about to call it quits after their record label folded. Instead, they pushed ahead to make a very personal album, Good Dog Bad Dog, and the surprising love affair it stirred in their fans, old and new, kept the band on track.

With their new release, Films for Radio, set for a mid-March release on Virgin's Back Porch imprint, Over the Rhine explored the studio experience while proving that they can retain their familiar sensibilities while taking a huge step forward.

The grace and craft of the home recording, Good Dog Bad Dog, caught the attention of the Cowboy Junkies, a group with many aesthetic similarities. They invited Over the Rhine to open their tour and even be their backing musicians during the main set. Audiences couldn't get enough. Good Dog Bad Dog became even more popular and Over the Rhine saw its re-release and a contract with Back Porch.

The backbones of Over the Rhine are vocalist Karin Bergquist and keyboardist, song writer Linford Detweiler. Her moody, confident, artful vocals sit perfectly atop, and through, his country/poppy music. Most of the songs feature a full band with drums, guitars and bass-in addition to Bergquist and Detweiler. It is a well recorded album with a unique sound. I can't quite place it within a genre because it shares many sounds and vibes from a wide range. Each song is a little snippet of a greater idea, but the album retains a cohesive quality behind Bergquist's vocals.

Her voice can start out Tori-Amos-like, or go a little more toward Amanda Marshall. Other times it resembles Margo Timmons, the distinctive voice of Cowboy Junkies, with her laid back phrasing and quiet emotionality. Behind all of this is a playful quality that, even in the darkest songs, manages to find an instant accessibility. Most of the songs have a clear, upbeat pop sound but are very articulate in their lyrics and exhibit a fair amount of complexity. The album feels familiar yet is very refreshing to listen to. There is no rehashing. This is a distinctive sound that owes a lot to several styles of music.

The first song "The World Can Wait" serves as the perfect introduction. It has a very Tori Amos flair to the vocals, with a good strong pop feel. But this is hardly their best work. It's a good song but the album keeps getting better all the way to the closing track.

"If Nothing Else" starts off with a little laugh; this band knows what it's doing. It's a lighter track than number one, a little more country than pop. Bergquist's voice strongly resembles Dido's on "Give Me Strength," a darker song with a very produced feel. Although the drums are most likely live, they have a programmed feel. It works as a source of diversity, especially considering the more jazzy drums of "Fairpoint Dairy," up next.

"Fairpoint Diary" has some great keyboards in addition to the soft drums. It's similar in sound to some of Furslide's last album (definitely a band to check out as well). Bergquist's phrasing is perfect for the song, and very different than the three that precede it.

For some reason "I Radio Heaven" evokes images of James Bond and its opening theme to me. It's a little slower, a little more sultry, and a little more pissed off than the other songs.

"Little Blue River" is definitely one of my favorites. It's a light, slowly ambling song. It has a slow dance vibe with a nice country twang. You can hear the Cowboy Junkies in this one. Bergquist has great vocal lines here too.

"Goodbye" is more piano based. She adopts a more female singer/songwriter style that suits the music well. "Whatever You Say" exhibits a great surf rock sound, especially in the opening guitar lines. It smoothly transitions at the first verse into a country/pop song; the shift coming again with the vocals. Bergquist isn't the flash and power of Sarah McLachlan or the refined control of older female singers. Instead she takes her unusual voice, Detweiler's smart lyrics, and their unusual music, and comes up with just the right way to sing. It only works here, but nothing else would fit in its place.

"The Body is a Stairway of Skin" has a slightly more ambient flavor to it. It has got a great programmed drum sound--simple, lo-fi and not distracting. It's another good change of pace. "Moth" has an odd feel of time, but it helps make the song a good one. The album concludes with the best six minutes and 25 seconds on the CD. "When I Go" is a quiet, stark almost ghostly song. The vocals are intimate yet removed. But the best part is the guitar tone in the solo. It may simply be the best tone I have ever heard from a guitar, bar none.

As hard as I tried to be critical, I couldn't. This CD isn't the overproduced nonsense that makes up the majority of pop, rock and country. Instead, it manages to be filled with great songs by an unusual team doing what they love. They took a fairly spartan approach and ended up with one of the few honest albums to have been made recently. Films For Radio and Over the Rhine have succeeded where few bands do anymore: by staying true to themselves while taking the opportunity to continue their growth.