Sounds can often be deceiving. Listen to The Rum Diary and try
not to picture epic noise-making bands like Scotland’s
Mogwai. Mogwai is resoundingly serious, larger than life, and has
that certain panache for being different and artsy that is often
associated with successful indie rockers.
The Rum Diary, who is playing at the Cooperage tonight, delivers
a sound that suggests similar intentions and personalities. The
group has fragile vocals reminiscent of fellow indie group Death
Cab For Cutie, and listeners can only imagine a bunch of serious
indie rockers divulging in emotionally intense recording sessions
and conversing about life, death and politics. But the music can be
deceiving.
“I’m making a turkey sandwich,” said bassist
and backup vocalist John Lee during a phone interview, proving he
isn’t in fact living inside the melodrama of his music.
Their songs are crafted with the same build-up and release
structure often heard in the music of Mogwai. On “Sunken
Fields,” from their last album “Noise Prints,”
vocals float over soft repetitive electric guitars until chaotic
drums and distorted chords arrive with storm-like ferocity. Tension
is slowly released as the song comes to a dramatic conclusion.
The intense orchestrations of their songs might give the
impression that The Rum Diary members see themselves as larger than
life, but they remain modest about their work and comparisons to
the bigger bands.
“Both (Mogwai and the band Godspeed You Black Emperor) are
amazing, and we’d be foolish not to be flattered,” Lee
said. “But we’re not a big band. We’re just four
guys next door making music.”
Lee, a Glendale High graduate, met his bandmates at Sonoma State
University. Their new EP, “A Key To Slow Time,” is
their follow-up to their last well-received album, “Noise
Prints.”
“We’re really happy with these songs, and
we’re becoming more cohesive playing together, especially
with two drummers,” Lee said. Their live shows often employ
two drum kits in order to bring their dynamic rhythms to life.
“The songs are much more original,” he
continued.
The Rum Diary is proof that serious music can be made by the
guys next door. But the band members are still working on the
image.
“We look like a bunch of dorks in our pictures,” Lee
said.
Maybe they do, but it would be difficult to detect any humble
geekiness by listening to their songs.
The Rum Diary plays at the Cooperage tonight at 7 p.m.