Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"

Ra Ra Riot's sophomore release takes the mid-tempo, baroque pop they introduced on their debut and expand it into something more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, The Rhumb Line had its moments but it's mostly downtrodden.

The Orchard opens up with the strings-heavy title track, the lead single, and a possible future single. The middle third loses focus and is uninteresting until the tail end of "You And I Know", which really sets up the rest of the album to go out in a blaze.

Now anyone who discusses Ra Ra Riot is contractually obligated to mention Vampire Weekend so I will make this my final point. I think Contra is one of the best albums this year and was a huge step forward for VW. I am willing to put The Orchard right up there as a gem of 2010 and the most complete album RRR have made.

Must hear: Boy

(Release Date: 8/24/10)