Album: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger
Genre: Indie Folk/Alternative Rock
Origin: Toms River, New Jersey
Record Label: XOXO Records, Anchor and Hope Music
Band Members: Joe Michelini, Mike Constaney, Dan Melius, Jenn Fantaccione, Nick Cucci, Patrick O’Brien, James Ramirez, Nicole Scorscone, and Sam Tacon.
From Toms River, New Jersey comes a unique and powerful band called River City Extension. This nine-member folk rock band has released one EP, and two full-length albums. Their first album, The Unmistakeable Man, received positive reviews from both Paste magazine and NPR. The band is composed of guitarist and vocalist Joe Michelini, drummer Mike Constaney, trumpet player Dan Melius, cellist Jenn Fantaccione, electric guitarist and vocalist Nick Cucci, keyboardist Patrick O’Brien, bassist and banjoist James Ramirez, additional string player Nicole Scorscone, and vocalist Sam Tacon.
This large and distinctive band had released their newest album, Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Your Anger, on June 5th, 2012. The name derives from the verse Ephesians 4:26 in the Bible (rivercityextension.com).The album has been a success, as many music critics, such as Paste magazine and Alternative Press, have given high ratings and praised the sophomore album. The fourteen track album contains beautifully-written, soulful lyrics that will catch you off-guard. The lyrics are honest, and it shows the many different sides of life and relationships.
The album opens with a short, but incredibly sincere track called “Glastonbury”. The song combines heartfelt lyrics with poignant male vocals, and that style continues throughout the entirety of the album. The vocals change from male to female in numerous songs, which adds dimension and a softer feel to each track. The third track of the album, “Slander”, contains more imagery than the other songs, and also has a more audacious feel. The bass guitar, drums, banjo, and electric guitar arrangement in this song adds to the hurt-filled vocals to paint the portrait of betrayal that is being portrayed. The ninth track on the album, “Ballad of Oregon”, creates a lighter atmosphere. Although the song contains themes such as loneliness and getting over someone, it is also filled with hope. The song was featured on the MTV television series “Catfish: The TV Show”.
The album dealt with themes such as betrayal, break-ups, finding oneself, love, and personal/spiritual issues (rivercityextension.com). River City Extension captivated me with their enjoyable and complex instruments, but they made me completely addicted with their sincere lyrics and striking vocals. Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Your Anger is definitely one of my favourite albums, and I can’t wait to hear more from them.
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger: 8.89/10
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