The Rationales “Radio” Single Review
So this is kind of a throw back, but Dave Mirabella shot me over an email, I listened to this track, and I really dug it…
The Rationales have been around for bit. Self described as “Mixing power-pop with alternative, teeming with hooks and harmonies, and layering their sound with hints of Americana and indie rock” is pretty perfect description of these fellas. And while pop may be a shunned term in the majority of bands in the Americana realm, it’s something these guys seem to embrace and own. As well they should….
I would describe them as a fun, rock n’ roll band with hints of “a bunch of different things that reminds me of a great night out at your favorite rock club, drinking cheap beer and hanging with your closest pals”. Is that genre? No, but it’s what I feel when I listen to this track. I get hints of Nirvana with a lighter, not-so-depressing side, a throwback to a slightly more lighthearted rock/grunge I remember from the 90s, and a dash of the Talking Heads. The music rocks, but Mirabella’s vocal has a gentle sort of kindness and approachability to it. These are the type of guys who come off stage after a gig and share a beer with the folks in crowd, rather than heading back to the green room to self indulge in their performance.
While the lyrics are a bit nonfigurative, I sense a bit of celebration of music in a town that the Rationales know and love. The line “its like religion in my soul / like a song, on the radio” lends me the idea that these guys just love to play and music is their passion, something they want to share with a large stage at the Rock n’ Roll rumble, or their hometown pub. I believe the song was released around, or soon after, the opening of one of their frequent haunts RADIO in Somerville, and while the song doesn’t seem to be specifically about the club, I could easily see the song becoming its anthem.
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