RPM Challenge Profile: Make Room For The Triptones
I’ve traded copies of my RPM albums, Buildings and Real Time, with various other RPM Challenge participants. Since I feel like I should be writing more here, I’m going to briefly review profile the albums I’ve received. We’re not really giving out grades here, since everyone gets an A for finishing, naturally.
I should also point out that you can find all this music in its entirely on the RPM Challenge Jukebox.
Artist: The Triptones
Album: Make Room For The Triptones
The Triptones are a New England-based trio making their first appearance in the RPM Challenge this year with Make Room For The Triptones, a disc that offers straight-up singalong classic rock with the occasional touch of psychadelia. The opener, Lift Me Up, makes no apologies about what is to come as it combines a driving rhythm section with smoking guitar work and a piano that sounds like it’s had its share of beers spilled upon it. Shadows gets a little trippy, mixing dissonant guitars and soaring, screaming synthesizers with distant sounding vocals. M.D.M.A. splits the difference, starting off as a bar rocker and finishing with staticky programmed drums and beatboxing as it accompanies a lyrical account of a descent into drug-induced psychosis.
All three members share singing and songwriting duties, so there’s a fair amount of changing things up from song to song despite the pretty consistent heavy reliance on classic rock influences (read: Stones and Zeppelin). These songs and this band are dedicated to upapologetically rocking and celebrating the themes that have powered music for time immemorial. As singer/guitarist Tom Boudreau wishes in Mountain Song, “I want to get on a bus called Happiness and ride to the very last stop.”
Why you might like it: You like the stuff they like and solid musicianship, and/or get a kick out of unironically drinking cheap beer at dive bars.
Why you might not: You agree with Pitchfork when they call Wilco “dad-rock” and wonder what that makes this. You feel as though the cover art comprises physical abuse of motorcycles.
My (additional) two cents: This disc was recorded at Bonehead Studios in Connecticut, which would appear to be the fanciest recording setup of any of the discs I’ve received thus far. Perhaps this level of fidelity is perfect for the rowdy bunch-of-guys background vocal sound, which is much better here than on The Killers’ Sam’s Town.
