"as we walk towards water you made me a bet..."
Think of the Pacific Northwest and you can't help but think of ragged beautiful coastlines, fog rolling in through forests, beautiful sunshine and a sense of cold isolation maybe even in crowds. At least that is what I think about, oh and Big Sur, the place and the great song by The Beach Boys. These scattered thoughts bring me to "Turn the Tide" by Charles & Ritchie from their recently released 2022 EP "Kill Your Darlings" (a subversive piece of literary advice by William Faulkner). From the very onset, "Turn the Tide" feels like a drinking song about trial and tribulations. The jubilant, forlorn harmonica, sprite piano, acoustic busker tones and a vocal aesthetic that feels like something between resolute jubilation and the kind of mania that stabs your brain that might make you sing while the ship is going down. The kind of sea shanty smashed with Gothic folk sucks you into the kind of story that makes you want to know the back story. The production with stop and starts is wonderfully dynamic. Every element furthers the story so exquisitely from the piano stabs to the expressive drumming (jesus, the ride cymbal embellishments) to the singularity of the harmonica break to the vocal harmonies.
In poking around I stumbled onto "The Fall of it All" on You Tube I heard a different shade of Charles & Ritchie, just as catchy but maybe more dark. You can feel an emotional mania here too, I thought of Modest Mouse. I love the musical breakdowns with interwoven stacatto rhythms and a sense of exasperation. The song conjures up imagery. I love the vocals that have a sense of things breaking down, of tears held back, of a cosmic folly that is unavoidable.
Hope you check out Charles & Ritchie's EP "Kill Your Darlings" by hitting the spotify link down below. Cheers.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.instagram.com/charlesandritchieband/
https://www.facebook.com/Charles-Ritchie-101510481916519
https://open.spotify.com/album/3bsoRwhmJTHiCPbzW0e1mO
Beginnings are born of endings. Charles & Ritchie was born from years of shared experiences and passion expressed through music. All of the boys have been a part of several touring musical projects spanning Arkansas, Montana, California, Washington and Oregon. Formed during covid isolation, musicians who were just playing lonely tunes for each other in the dreary Pacific Northwest. This solitude gave the band the opportunity to craft a sound and style to a completion before anyone ever heard the first note. And now? They’re bringing an Indie/Pop/Americana sound full of harmonies, memorable catchy pop sensibilities, and humble lyrical prose.
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We get by with a little help from our friends
Charles & Ritchie, indie rock , alt rock, gothic folk, folk indie, "Turn the Tide", "Kill Your Darlings", New EP "Kill Your Darlings", Pacific Northwest, Portland, divergent rock, avant pop, post punk,
+ + +
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.instagram.com/charlesandritchieband/
https://www.facebook.com/Charles-Ritchie-101510481916519
https://open.spotify.com/album/3bsoRwhmJTHiCPbzW0e1mO
Beginnings are born of endings. Charles & Ritchie was born from years of shared experiences and passion expressed through music. All of the boys have been a part of several touring musical projects spanning Arkansas, Montana, California, Washington and Oregon. Formed during covid isolation, musicians who were just playing lonely tunes for each other in the dreary Pacific Northwest. This solitude gave the band the opportunity to craft a sound and style to a completion before anyone ever heard the first note. And now? They’re bringing an Indie/Pop/Americana sound full of harmonies, memorable catchy pop sensibilities, and humble lyrical prose.
+ + +
We get by with a little help from our friends
Charles & Ritchie, indie rock , alt rock, gothic folk, folk indie, "Turn the Tide", "Kill Your Darlings", New EP "Kill Your Darlings", Pacific Northwest, Portland, divergent rock, avant pop, post punk,
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