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Rane releases Camelopardalis
It's been two years in the making,
but finally, the release I've been anxiously awaiting has finally
come. South Windsor's home band, rane, has finally come out with
their third album, Camelopardalis.
For those of you who haven't heard the story behind the album
name, Camelopardalis is a constellation that looks like a
giraffe. Apparently, a family member of a bandmate had registered
a star in honor of the band members in this constellation. The
coordinates of the star's astrological position is named on the
album cover. However, that's not what makes this album so great.
What makes the album so great is that it is truly unique from any
type of music that you could hear. And while the name Dave
Matthews has implications on the category of "jam
band," rane proves that you need more than just a name to
make a great album; You need musicians, and that's exactly what
rane provides you with. A five star album from a five star band
that continually pours their hearts into their music.
Camelopardalis
opens with "Feeding the Machine," with strong
percussive backing, lead by Travis LaMothe, who plays drum kit,
and Kurt Rinaldi, who plays the other percussive instruments. One
of the things that sets rane apart from most bands, is this
strong backing and this duo adds an element to their music that
is awesome and even better to watch in live show. Previously
dubbed "13/8," the next song's title was officially
changed to "Circus Ride" for the new album. This song
is a little different, and a little mellower than most rane
songs, but it's apparent that lead singer and rhythm guitarist,
Alan Veniscofsky, puts emotion into what he's singing about. The
added emphasis is what allows the songs to touch the soul of the
listener. Next follows "Bownicity," a purely
instrumental song that truly showcases the band's talent as
musicians. Almost every band member gets a solo in this song, and
you get to hear the different styles that these four men
contribute to their music. This is a song that's never the same
at any one given live performance, so to hear it as a studio
track is a treat. "When We Ride" is another great song,
but is followed by "Gemini," one of my favorite slow
songs on the album. As with most rane songs, there is the band's
meaning behind the song, but the lyrics are so good and so vague,
that the listener gets to interpret the lyrics to fit around
their own lives. To me, "Gemini" is about a
relationship that is on the verge of blossoming. Obviously, there
are sexual overtones, but it shows a passion that Veniscofsky has
for allowing the lyrics to hit emotions in the heart. Virtually
any rane song is good to listen to in both good times and bad
because they are so versatile and the music is so great. There
isn't anything weepy about the album, but there isn't anything
rage-driven either.
Among the new material, one of my
favorite tracks is "Transportation." I think it fits my
own life in that I'm about to graduate high school and physically
leave all my friends behind to move 350 miles away to a new
country. "Transportation" is about new beginnings and
reflections on the past. The most moving line in it for me is
"If I leave here/I know you'll understand/And I'll take what
I need to begin again." "Flutter" is next; the
song about a man who was walking by the highway on ramp, only to
commit suicide a few minutes later. A sad story with the lyrics
written in large part by the bassist, Dan Prindle. My favorite
live song has finally been captured in studio recording on Camelopardalis.
"Minutes" is always touted as the band's "attempt
at a country song," but other than the slides on the
beginning, there's nothing country about this song. This too, is
a song that can never be played the same more than once. Although
"Bownicity" gets into the instrumental crevices of the
band, "Minutes" does as well and shows the talent of
lead guitarist Ryan Bowman. The song starts out fast pace and
slows down near the middle, only to work its way up to the
beginning and finish strongly. Two more songs round out the
album. "Fullness and Decay," I think, is about someone
who screwed up a relationship and doesn't know what to do with
himself. He wants to get it back to what it was, but doesn't know
how. "Can't throw this word around/Trust is earned, not
found," Veniscofsky sings. The last song on the album,
"Somewhere Between Sadness and Peace" used to be known
as "4->5" but was also officially renamed for the
album. It's not my favorite song, but a good way to end the
album.
I guess I'm a little partial to
writing a review about this album because I'm a really big rane
fan myself and have been for about 4 years now. I don't always
catch every concert, but with the music I have, I've become more
in tune to the style of the band and I can say that over the past
four years, they've certainly come a long way in their musical
abilities. As a group, they play extremely tightly, yet their
continual improvision is so great that you'd never know they were
improvising. As far as bands go, their music is great and their
lyrics complement the energy that the band strives to maintain in
their performance. To not have another rane album out would truly
be disappointing, as it is always exciting to watch and hear the
new material that they work so hard at perfecting. Music is not
just a money making profession to these guys, it's an artform; an
artform that will continually be shaped into something greater as
the band improves. Camelopardalis
definitely shows that this band has places to go before it's
over. As they sing in "Circus Ride," "we will find
new frame of mind." I have no doubt that rane will continue
to find new frame of mind with the success of this album.
6/13/00
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