Radio Rubber Room’s first Wednesday of the new year kicked off in a fiery blaze, with new and tasty music from The Mystery Ship and Splendid Suns – both of which are plugging away at new releases in the upcoming months.
Radio Rubber Room’s first Wednesday of the new year kicked off in a fiery blaze, with new and tasty music from The Mystery Ship and Splendid Suns – both of which are plugging away at new releases in the upcoming months.
It had been a good while since I last heard The Mystery Ship, and some of the characteristics that define this band shone a little brighter last week. With three guitars in the lineup, The Mystery Ship gives itself a lot of leeway for melodic and harmonic dynamics. One of the guitars tends to hang on to a solid, sustained note, drawing out the harmony to great effect. It gives their songs a great cohesion, and a sense of control.
Additionally, The Mystery Ship has always had a great mix every time I’ve seen them. They take great care with their levels, which is obviously a necessity when you’ve got five instruments to worry about. Frontman Jerry Atkinson seems like much more than that; he has the quality of a conductor up on stage as he deliberates effect changes, never seeming rushed or flustered.
After the set, I spoke to guitarist/vocalist Louis Reichbauer about upcoming Mystery Ship action. Back in December they started working on their second album, hoping for release around May. This time, he says, they’re going for a grittier, more textural sound than before. Punkadelia, as they’ve coined their sound, entails a bit of heaviness that they’d like to bring out more in the next work. Keep an ear open for new Mystery Ship material in the next few months.
Splendid Suns never fail to impress; every show has a lingering suspense to it that I’ve never really understood. It’s most likely a mixture of their intensity, the complexity of the songs, and the fact that they party just as hard as I do. So I’m always left wondering what the evening will hold in store.
The advent of the Suns’ debut album is clearly generating a lot of energy for them, as it should – this is no doubt one of the city’s most anticipated albums. I was fortunate enough to hear the final master disc, and yes, it’s fucking awesome. These songs developed more fully than I could have imagined, and by next month you will be hearing them blaring down the streets of Richmond.
This Wednesday, Radio Rubber Room presents Vega Omega and Hannah Marie and the Bearded Ladies. Hannah Marie I’ve seen several times with Cardinal Compass. She plays a mean guitar and sings with soul – an immensely talented young lady that I’m looking forward to seeing again.
Now, Vega Omega I’ve never seen. But apparently these eclectic rockers were formed in the cosmos, with all the other celestial beings, and made their way to down to earth some time ago. Their sound is a little less cosmic than you might guess, which equates to it being a little more accessible. Another rip-roaring Wednesday at The Republic is just around the corner–come be a part of it. January 9, 10 PM.
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Words by Dan Mulrooney
Images by Tyler M. Conta
