Ohio University freshman Victor Rasgaitis is filed in with the young-guys-with-guitars set in the Athens music scene, and while he certainly fits the bill, his inspirations and energy lend him distinction.
For one, the breezy acoustic folk rock backed up by collaborator Andrew Barton's djembe drum on The Awkward EP has a wide-eyed optimism that is more gleeful Simon & Garfunkel than depressing Nick Drake. And some tracks on the album zip by like a 5-year-old high on Kool-Aid, which certainly makes for a more interesting listen than some morose, coffee-shop clatter.
These perks make Awkward a success in principle. Listening to the album, recorded in April at D&R Studio in Nelsonville for a local radio show, it is clear The Rasgaitis Brothers are having the time of their lives, and the result is harmless fun by some young guys doing what they love.
The fact that Awkward is, well, awkward at times is a bit easier to swallow thanks to the heedless energy of both musicians. Even though the nine tracks on The Awkward EP have moments that shine, Rasgaitis and Barton have a way to go as vocalists and haven't yet mastered the timeless art of nuance.
Rasgaitis and Barton co-wrote the opening track, Uptown in a Hurricane
and it best embodies the carefree, fast-moving tone of the album's upbeat numbers. It even has the same flaws as the others.
Rasgaitis' squawky, playful tenor suits his style, and he manages fine on his own providing lead vocals. Barton renamed himself Johnny Rasgaitis for the sake of the project ' I guess The Barton Brothers didn't have that zing ' and also holds up well on backup percussion. Their voices, however, don't mesh, and few harmonies ring in quite the way they intend.
The Awkward EP borrows a few notes from Simon & Garfunkel, but it could use some of Paul and Art's wisdom as well. The relentless pace and lyrical speed-walking of the quicker songs that make up roughly half the album could afford to slow down you're movin' too fast.
When The Rasgaitis Brothers don't move so fast, however, they show remarkable restraint and sensitivity. Lovaby showcases a slow, elegant guitar arrangement, coupled with lyrics that have the quaint logic of a '50s tune in which dream is repeated twice for the hell of it.
In What Do You Know? the best and last song of The Awkward EP
Rasgaitis' plaintive introductory strums become a rallying cry for that complex and confusing gap between childhood and adulthood. Neither Rasgaitis nor Barton have the hindsight to passionately belt out a Both Sides Now or Something to Live For ' nor do many of us ' but this is as close as they're going to get, and it's extremely effective.
If they find a way to insinuate that introspection into their energy, they'll be well on their way to a better next album.
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Matt Burns
