The Rationales
The Going And The Gone
2008
The Rationales have a new CD coming out next week. In anticipation, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at their debut EP, The Going And The Gone.
The majority of these six collected songs are a pleasant mix of Wilco, Tom Petty and Big Star. It’s a sound they do well. “On The Vine” is a fine example, with its layers of acoustic and electric guitars, organ and harmony vocals. There’s a hooky chorus with just enough grit to drive the song along. The delicate closer, “Ruby Colored Halo”, features some beautiful pedal steel work.
The standout tracks on this EP are the ones that don’t fit the mold. “No Guarantees” is an infectious power pop song with fantastic vocal harmonies. It’s the kind of song the repeat button was made for. The Rationales also deliver a near perfect retro pop number in “Far Away.” If you’re a fan of the work Paula Kelley was doing with her band Boy Wonder at the end of their run, you owe it to yourself to check out this song. While the whole CD sounds very good (kudos to Ed Valauskas, Joe Tooley, Darren Burke, and Nick Zampiello for their work), “Far Away” sounds flawless.
The Going And The Gone was a very promising debut. Have The Rationales continued to effectively mix up their roots rock and pop on their new record? We’ll find out soon enough.
Full Disclosure: The design work for The Going And The Gone was done by the lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative. That doesn’t make “No Guarantees” or “Far Away” any less addictive. Just letting you know.
Where to get it:
