Alternative rock band Ran Aground is from the central coast of California. Feeling comfortable performing in their home turf playing a mix of melodic rock, punk and reggae, the group has also played various venues from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Blending these styles together with other influential artists like Elliott Smith, Propagandhi, Radiohead and RX Bandits, Ran Aground writes songs that deal with existence, relationships and loss, all told from varying points of view. For the band as a whole, their songwriting is based on ideas rather than crafting out a particular sound or genre. It’s a group effort, and that effort was quickly paced – recording the music for their debut EP Adrift in roughly 12 hours – with most of that done in one eight-hour day. Talk about having focus!
The opening track “Capsized” has a really interesting sound. It kind of has this twisted, spaghetti western style, but at the same time sounding alternative punk. The tempo changes and changing guitar chords are really awesome, too. When the next song “When the Stars Disappear” started, I swear the guitar and style sounded like something from The Police and, it would make sense because those guys tapped into the reggae sound numerous times on their albums. Anyway, this song grew on me. The band whips up styles of reggae, metal, punk and all of it was so well done. “Hands of Fate” continues on with a faster beat and a style that’s more straightforward alternative rock. It’s an all-around likable number with plenty of change ups to keep things moving. Slowing the tempo down is “The Magus” – a love song of sorts with a gentler sound during some sections. It does have some dark storytelling lyrics which gives this tune some great imagery for its listeners. I’d might add, the effect on the guitar was pretty sweet. “Will Return” reminds of an old sailor’s song or rhythms of old, where sailors would make up songs to pass the time away. I guess I got that impression because of the beat, the shouting “heys!” in between lyrics, and words about the sea. The band goes all out punk midway, making this last song quite dynamic and expressive. All in all, a great sampling of styles from this West Coast band.
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