Score: 2/10
Hope of the States’ successor, Troubles, titled their debut tour as Slow Down or Die. Not, as you may first think, as a reference to their rock ‘n’ roll lifestyles, but instead to their new, more agreeable, and ambient sound. Listening to Riff Tiffs opening track, “James Ralph Brown Part I,” from their second full-length release Afflictinnitus, it would be easy to believe they’d taken Sam J. Herlihy’s advice. Slow-building and not dissimilar to Romance of Young Tigers, “James Ralph Brown Part I” manages to misguide the listener into thinking the rest of the album will be this impressive. This is not the case. The unnecessarily titled “James Ralph Brown Part II” carries on from where “Part I” left off, until roughly half-way through, when Maroon 5 apparently hijack the studio. At this point, the group ditch any post-rock visions they were holding onto and instead opt to emulate Chris Martin sunning himself in the Orange County. This seven minute mash-up is followed by “Nightmare”. The title of the track is a clear indication of what’s to come. It seems the band wanted to create their very own Bends era Radiohead classic, but end up churning out a Brand New indebted, well, nightmare.
Third track, “In My Brain (There Are Waves),” is actually the Mancunian, abused love child of Oasis and The Stone Roses. This is quite clearly not a youth you’d want to be associated with. By this point, Riff Tiffs must realize how rotten they sound, as they attempt to claw back any positive parts the album had (e.g., the beginning) by mimicking their influences for the rest of the LP. This is a cue for more Radiohead worship, emo-rific breakdowns and feeble attempts at math-rock. Oh, and I’ve yet to mention the lyrics. “Cornman’s” climax contains the following vocal effort: “You’re green or blue, take off your shoes, you know it’s true,” which is delivered with a disturbing amount of self-belief, normally reserved for energetic and happy-clappy Church healing sessions.
Riff Tiffs are obviously bursting with musical love. They want to portray the adoration they have for their influences through this release, but instead of coming off as one big explosion of genre-breaking-beats, it’s a lot like the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut, uncomfortable and a little bit scary. Perhaps Riff Tiffs should “Slow Down and Stop-Trying-To-Reenact-Lazy-Boring-College-Rock-Alongside-Post-Hardcore-Climaxes”. Sadly, that’s not as catchy as Mr. Herlihy’s wise words though, is it?
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