I'm taking a short break from The Big Ticket's Mix '04. For those of you out there who are actually following along, worry not. As my hanukkah gift to y'all, I'll be posting tracks #8 and #9 on Saturday & Sunday. If I stay on schedule, the mix should be posted in its entirety in time for christmas eve, since I know everybody who reads this site will be giving it to their cousins & girlfriends & mailmen on that oh-so-holy nite. Have a merry weekend.



Today, however, I must return to my fanboy roots wth yet another RANA-related post. Though I just found out yesterday, the new album from my favorite Jersey rockers, entitled What It Is, has been available for purchase through CCNow for more than a week (check out the merch page).

What It Is, the studio follow-up to 2002's Here in the USA, is the culmination of the last two years of this band's life. It has actually sat on the shelf a bit this year, as RANA was going through management difficulties, but the guys finally decided to put out a limited run of the disc on their own this fall (and thank god for that).

The majority of the album comes from sessions produced by David Lowery of Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven at his Sound of Music studios in Richmond, VA in early 2004, with additional tracks from the Bill Berry-produced Athens sessions recorded at John Keane's studio in summer 2003.

MP3 RANA - "Buy Sell or Break"
Considered by some to be RANA's best song (though that's extremely debatable), "Buy Sell or Break" debuted at the band's cd release event for Here in the USA at CBGB's in NYC on 6/14/02. Despite being seemingly about heartbreak, it's explosive & celebratory, always bound to get me up & dancing. Give this a shot: play this song at the end of your day & then try tellng me you don't feel better. Can't do it, can you? Didn't think so.

MP3 RANA - "Phillippe Petit"
Phillippe Petit walked a tight rope between NYC's ill-fated World Trade Center towers in 1974 (chronicled in the book The Man Who Walked Between The Towers), and RANA wrote a song about him. I posted a live version of this track (as well as "Buy Sell or Break") back in March when I was just starting out this blog, & now here's the What It Is studio version.

MP3 RANA - "Loves It, Automatic"
Being indecisive as-per-usual, I couldn't pick just two tracks from What It Is, so just had to include a third. Written in spring 2002, this song has always been one of my favorite lyrical turns by keyboardist Matt Durant, showing that his high-priced, fancy-pants elitist, Ivy League education can be put to good use. Then again, I also just like to foolishly chant "HE LOVES IT AUTOMATIC!!" repeatedly, so it works on multiple levels.

Of course, there is no substitute for live RANA - the upcoming holiday run:

• Monday 12/27 @ Pianos - NYC
  Leafcutter w/the Wowz & the Dirty Projectors
• Tuesday 12/28 @ TLA - Philadelphia, PA
  RANA @ 8pm, opening for the Russo/Benevento Duo w/Mike Gordon
• Wednesday 12/29 @ The Moose - Doylestown, PA
  RANA @ 9pm
• Thursday 12/30 @ Tribeca Rock Club - NYC
  RANA @ 10pm (two "long" sets)

Hey, I didn't know bassist Andrew Southern had a website! I do now.

ETA (12/12/04): Tugboat alerted me to a Jambase article worth reading.

This entry was posted by mr gilbert at 12/10/2004 10:40:00 AM.