Local Reviews: Ralp

Ralp
3-song sampler
Moondog Music

Street: whenever you’d like
Ralp = Dead or Alive + John Lennon-style vocal + Big Black

According to Moondog Music, Ralp (Casey Fritz to those in the know) has recorded over 200 songs, all of which are downloadable through their website. This makes reviewing this three-song demo a little strange. Two years ago, SLUG reviewed Ralp’s first six-song demo on these very pages. Where it gets interesting is that all three songs on this disc were also on the first one. But never one to shun redundancy, it must be said that this homemade, single-person-performed trio of songs is actually very listenable. And where the music seems at times limited by the multi-track, electronic feel of studio work, the vulnerable, almost 1980s John Lennon-sounding vocal ties everything together well. And while we here at SLUG would have preferred to be treated to a few of the other 200 tracks on the Moondog site, the cuts on this mini sampler work well enough together to inspire a little curiosity for more Ralp. But who knows? When we re-review this one again in two years, we may just change our minds.