The Red River

Little Songs About the Big Picture (Brave)

By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: November 12th, 2010 | 7:01am

On Little Songs About the Big Picture, the Red River make a debut that charms despite its occasional lack of originality. Largely rooted in electro-folk, these little songs give big nods to other musicians.

"When We Are Wild" and "I Will Give Thanks" sound like they were crafted by some whiz-kid at the Postal Service Academy. "Last Night We Made Tacos" manages to evoke the harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, the early career melodies of Iron & Wine, and the lyrics of Death Cab for Cutie. "St. Bernard's Lily" could be a Sufjan Stevens B-side, and "Grande Fasse" bows at the altar of Bright Eyes. "Dirty Dave" actually sounds as if it's being delivered by some genetically-crafted lovechild of Conor Oberst and John Darnielle. And yes, this is far more name-dropping than a reviewer should have to do.

Despite the obvious influence of the other bands, there are some beautiful intersections of originality and homage. The big-band twist to "I Will Give Thanks" is a nice surprise as are the strings in "When We Are Wild," and one wouldn't expect the gospel choir and whistling on "Last Night We Made Tacos" either. Sometimes that originality doesn't pay off, and more unique songs like "Tomahawk" aren't as interesting as the aforementioned. Sure, the Red River is an obvious hybrid of the above bands, but is that really such bad company to keep?

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The Red River official site

Brave Records