This Is My The Rapture Post

I did not at all like The Rapture's new record, Pieces of the People We Love, on first listen. The record was not another Echoes and yes that did upset me. Now, on the eve of The Rapture's Making Time appearance, after a long period of time has elapsed, I have confronted Pieces as objectively as I could, and do conclude that my first opinions on the record were disgusting, and that over all the record is pretty good.

However, I do want to stick to a few of my original guns. First, there is not one moment on Pieces that equals or surpasses any of the moments on Echoes. I also think that Echoes was a truly great record, with a truly great, original moment. I think it 100% to say that nobody saw "House of Jealous Lovers" coming. I think it also completely safe to say that song had a major impact on music. Riffs once said, "HOJL made it alright for the indie kids to dance." But I think it did much more than that. I think it made it alright for people to ENTIRELY lose their shit. The song honestly broke barriers, maybe the most impervious kind, the ones that we set up to conceal the geek inside of all us. The song made it alright to geek out. Four years later, there are still no challengers to "HOJL's" throne.

Pieces does not have a moment that will change music. It is however a very well done amalgamation of genre: synth pop, new wave, post punk, disco, rock ballad. One thing that will forever bother me though: it seems to me that the record's producers, Dangermouse and Phones, cheapened some of the band's material in order to leave their imprint on the record. The last twenty seconds of "W.A.Y.U.H." the producers dick around and almost ruin the entire track. There are also too many acid house synths running through the record, check especially "First Gear." Shit guys, some of these songs want to punk rock, okay? Not to say that some of the blame might also be placed on The Rapture. Whoever was responsible for the idea of the female backing vocals on "First Gear" and "W.A.Y.U.H." fucked up. The argument is that The Go! Team sucks. Plain and simple, cheerleaders suck.

I understand that it is hard, and in most cases unlikely that artists can produce more than one masterwork in their careers, but somehow the great ones manage it. The Rapture aren't there yet, but they are young and have plenty of records in front of them. In my opinion Pieces is not a great record. However, it is a fun, in no way devastating, as I had first thought, addition to The Rapture's catalogue. I can't wait to hear how it will sound live.