What do you get when you combine musical technicality with loud sing-a-long choruses? Well, it would sound a little bit like Riley, a local Dayton band consisting of Eric Bluebaum, Joey Kirby, Colin Pauley, and Chris Warman. Although most of the guys have played together before, the four piece regrouped and refocused in February 2012, with a new outlook on both the music and the band as a whole.
The Cat of Nine Tails: Part One is the first step in this new direction. The plan is for a 3-part series of EP’s under The Cat of Nine Tails name, with each EP containing new elements to the story. The songs work as individual “chapters”, and combined the set will piece together the whole narrative while also getting as much music out as quickly and easily as possible. The group was actually able to transcribe stories Bluebaum had written from page to scale, with lyrics and themes lifted directly from the prose. The result is a unique blend of melody mixed with time-shifts that seem to creep up out of nowhere. Labels like “math rock” or “post-rock” could easily be thrown around to describe Riley’s music, but those terms just wouldn’t do it justice. Instead, Riley is more like an eclectic grab bag of everything your ears have ever heard, and this is what keeps the music interesting.
The EP starts out with the song “Chapter II: Looking Back”, and right away it displays all the best elements of Riley: loud, climatic singing, but backed by thick, luscious guitar that makes the shouting sound like it’s coming from miles above you. The rhythm is hard, and the drumming matches the singing to a tee.
The next song, “Chapter III: Nomads”, begins with a storm of intricate guitar playing that seems to drizzle over you directly from your speakers. It showcases exactly what is meant by saying Riley is a “technical” kind of band. They’re musicians who know exactly how to create complex music you can still find the beat to, and as you listen to the music it’s easy to jump back in and get your head moving to the rhythm. It shows that audience participation is a must for this group of musicians, which should be the goal of any good band. Luckily, Riley lives up to this belief system quite well.
On “Chapter VIII: Street Ten”, the EP’s closing track, each member of the group pulls together to give their all to this upbeat finale. It’s an intense ending, but truth be told it’s certainly not over yet. This is just the start of The Cat of Nine Tails saga, and it’s also just the start of what Riley is doing as a band. With more music on the way and a handful of upcoming gigs, it’s the perfect time for these four guys to get a fresh start at something new, and that’s just what this EP is all about.
Be sure to check out the band’s Facebook page for up-to-date news and information, as well as thebandriley.bandcamp.com to purchase The Cat of Nine Tails: Part One EP. Riley has a number of shows coming up in the Dayton-Cincinnati area, including May 10th at Blind Bob’s (Dayton), May 11th at The Venue 42 (Lebanon), and May 26th at the Madlove Music Festival.
