The Riverbreaks - Get You Right

I got an email about a fortnight ago asking me to review this record and thus here I am. The Riverbreaks describe themselves as "an americana-pop rock band" that are situated in Washington D.C. and formed up of five members each from different states (though only as varied as Michigan to Alabama; there're no Hawaiians or Alaskans sadly). They released this, their debut album, in early April, and promise that "the music, the songs and lyrics from Get You Right reflect various cultures, journeys, and geographies".

I might be a little swayed by the pointillism on their website but I detect a slight similarity to the music of The Killers' most recent album Day and Age - the first track and lead single 'Strangers in the Hot Night' pits a classically American rock band against a very intrusive synthesizer to catchy effect. The band just about wins though, with some nice guitar solos towards the end, but the synth sections make for a nice chorus indeed. On 'Piedmont' the electronics evaporate and we're given a ballad ("The two of us by the Eno River/the moon above us like an almond sliver") with cutesy lyrics and a tune a little similar to The Cure's Just Like Heaven, a personal favourite song so a big thumbs up from me.


'Pistol' has an almost reggae tune to it with some nice piano pieces - whilst 'Bolin Creek' sings of rebirth and (I think, though the electric organs might be misleading me) religious experiences ("I was born a whole new man today..."). One of my favourite tracks from the album though is 'DKT', which manages to somehow combine southern blues-rock with U2-aspiring guitar solos for the album's most 'epic' moments. The drumming here is rather nice too. Some of the finest guitar-work is to be found on 'Since That Night', which for the most part is quite slow, and a little bit "high school Prom" (some of the lyrics are a bit cheesy too: "I drink a lot of whiskey/ I bet you hardly miss me").

There's then a pretty romanticism about 'Fog at Night' - "Imma roll in like the fog at night, and come straight home to you" is its chorus - with violins, poppy melodies and another strong guitar solo. The distortion effects on 'Casco Viejo' (a medieval Bilbao) along with a nice, slow rhythm give the 8th track a slight Santana vibe that's always a good thing.

One of the poppiest tracks, 'Dive Too Deep' sounds a bit like Maroon 5's first album - a band I'm not particularly fond of - with chirpy rhythms and a prominent piano melody. The final track, 'Latin American Bar Scene' is a nice testament to the band's high points, again sounding a little bit The Killers only with more bluesy guitars.


I suppose there's always a risk with a band that seeks to be, in their own words, "genre breaking". There are times when attempts at alternative influences fall flat on their face on the album - but for the majority of it they've bridged the pop sensibilities of most rock bands currently in the mainstream, with some less conventional, more daring sounds (the cogent mix of electronica with blues throughout is one of the band's greatest strengths). There are times that I think the lyrics are a little bit corny or predictable, but musically, the Riverbreaks have got a debut to be quite proud of.

Rating: 6.5/10
Highlights: DKT, Latin American Bar Scene, Piedmont, Strangers in the Hot Night
Avoid: Since that Night, Dive too Deep
Artwork Watch: I have fallen in love with the colouring. We shall elope later this year.