Rainer Maria – Ears Ring – Review

Rainer Maria

Ears Ring (Polyvinyl)
by Tim Den

A quick three-song preview of what’s to come in the full-length Long Knives Drawn (isn’t that a death metal song?). Decidedly more “rockin’,” Rainer Maria has all but ditched the introspective tones on Ears Ring. The title track opens the EP with dissonant-yet-catchy guitar licks, a sick breakdown, and plenty of hollering from bassist/vocalist Caithlin De Marrais. Is this Rainer Maria or a female-fronted Naked Raygun? Either way, the tracks here bounce with a newfound urgency to shed the bookworm glasses and knitted sweaters. Let’s see if the full-length expands on that or walks away from it…
(PO Box 7140 Champaign, IL 61826)