Every once in a while one gets to hear an artist who truly understands
the notion of melancholy. Not depressing, not necessarily full of the vim of
life, but never the less honestly regarding the notion of the human condition.
Very rarely, one gets to hear somebody who truly expresses it. On his debut
album, Rick Ralli (from Melbourne, Australia) has done just that. Over 2 years
in the making ‘Permanently on the Verge’ challenges the listener through phases
that straddle the sublime and the ridiculous, the childlike and the morbid, the
ecstasy and the defeat. It’s a wonderful combination, and when an artist can
find their way through the miasma of possible prog rock self indulgence, they
can truly end up with a spectacular result. This is one of those albums.
Beginning with a sweet nod to ‘Tomorrow never knows’, Ralli quickly changes pace
in to an almost Pink Floydesque charger of a song, ‘Let Up’. Influences are
obvious and lovingly revered, with nods to CSNY, The Who, Cheap Trick and even
the early seventies acid movement, Ralli makes sure, that even if he is
displaying a taste for certain genres, the album is still truly his.
A change of pace is evident in ‘Nothing But Healthy’, (the first
single) a sympathetic lament to the Sunday mornings we’ve all had, as we
stumble to put the kettle on, with the radio on in the background, reminding
ourselves that we should be up and about when all we want is to stay in bed,
reading the Life section, reprimanding ourselves that we really shouldn’t be
doing that at our age. “Could haves and didn’t do’s, shouldn’t haves with a
different view, can let it do my, do my head in.” (POTV)
‘Adopted Garden’ bursts in with a skewed look at the kind of folk song
that teases that it wants to bite your head off. A lovely turn of phrase and
the kind of lyrics that remind us that sometimes simple is still best.
A slower paced ‘Learn To Merge’ brings the melodies to the fore, and
the sweet vocals of Ralli, along with the very smooth guitar and charming piano
certaincy of Ben Timmis (Silver Night Drive) make for one of the more
beautiful, if slightly dark, tracks of the album. As a ponderous conversation
with a possible ex-lover, Ralli communicates that “I don’t know why you seem to
make me hang on the things you say, All I really want is you to make me feel
sane.” "Bitter can fight jealousy, I’m happy dealing with envy, its harder
to catch in captivity". Simple, succinct, and very powerful.
As one of the standout tracks, ‘Happiness’, co-written with and featuring
the vocals of Andre Warhurst (Silver Night Drive), is a sublime piece of
writing, showing they've mastered the art of a big emotional rock song here.
And kudos to them for it; also featuring a mindblowing drum track from the
albums drummer Ian Kitney. This track could honestly lift this album to classic
status.
In a slightly country rock twist, ‘Talking Her ‘Round’ plays on the
combination of strings, quiet guitar, and a lovely melody that I can still
barely believe come just predominantly from Ralli (who played most of the instruments
on the album), and with massive respect, reminded me of Fleet Foxes; soft, but
strong. It’s a truly sweet and moving combination, with a vibrant punch at the
end. Lovely.
After an almost Celtic beginning, ‘Ten Square Feet’ lends itself to
the wonderful genre of Folk Rock, with a loving reference to Easey St, the
lyrics move between truly lyrical and mellifluous (sorry but there’s no better
word), to slightly grating. It creates a mood of disaster. The production is
miles deep with subtle layers of overdubs coming to the fore with every listen.
It may sound strange, but with the reverse sampling at the end of the track,
its catch cry of “hold on to the light” seems honest and forceful in its
dynamic refrain.
“Behind
The Cosmic Mess” is just that. With its powerful guitar, we remember Ralli’s
most prominent talent. He is wonderful with an axe. Simple, clever, strong and
cutting, this song brings the CSNY ideas in true conflict with moments of Page
and Townshend with the call-backs, it makes for a stunning combination.
Getting funkier, ‘Wide Awake’ changes the tone of the album entirely, but
without losing the listener, shifting gears from a beautiful lyrical and
slightly melancholic trip to a possibly dangerous and very sexy world where we
get to see a different side of Ralli. After the distortion of the opening
moments, we get drums and a bass line that verge on dirty. The drums are possibly perfect for this
track. If your hips don’t move, you may be in a coma.
The brilliant track, ‘No Fun In A Crisis’ has plenty o’ tricks up its
sleeve, as of course we would hope. Permanently on the verge, (basically, all I
wanted to do was get a Bourbon (I don’t drink bourbon) and slam my head into
oncoming cyclists...) Anyhoo, the riffs are excellent and features a vicious guitar solo, Ralli
obviously knows and respects his teachers, as well as giving a nod to Sabbath
and Zeppelin with the drum call back sequence. The only track with a roll out
fade, credit must also be given to mixer Tim Johnston (Nick Cave, Stereophonics)
for taming such a huge barrage of guitars, aggressive, spiteful, but a lot of
fun.
And to finish off, ‘Beauty Rash’ is sweet and melodic but with wonderfully
sour lyrics "Then the doubt set in, so homely its been breeding" and
what I believe to be a wonderful ending to a spectacular album. I may be a
harsh critic, but I defy anyone (and I’ve had eight listens) to disregard the
beauty and honestly beautiful melancholy which is Permanently On The Verge.
Absolutely lovely. Do yourself a favour.
Cookie.
(Educator and rock piglet)