Album Review : Royal City - Royal City
- Written by Rebecca Schiller
With a name like Royal City, the vanity and conceit of opening track ‘Here Comes Success’ should be no surprise. “Hooray, success!” shouts Aaron Riches with his Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes)-esque vocals - shaky, whiney, and a bit screechy, but with an element of emotion and sincerity.
While the heartfelt vocals carry through the rest of the band’s self-titled B-sides album, they are overshadowed by some strange lyrics, and we’re not entirely sure what to make of them.
Perhaps what is most baffling is ‘Dog Song’: a minute and a half of an acoustic track, backed by the sound of a barking dog. Short and simple, it advises listeners not to be afraid of a dog, because he is a nice, lovely dog who will not bite hands. It also warns listeners “don’t cuss at him at all,” even though he barks. Now, we love animals, and we love music that takes risks, but this just makes us laugh. If that was the intention, then well done!
The album might be redeemed with ‘Postcards', though. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, we certainly feel the pain and desperation of losing someone, and the song’s simplicity works.
‘Bad Luck’ brings a little bit of the Wild West, suitable for an old-fashioned bar brawl, and ‘The Nations Will Sing’ is a cheery ballad down to the “ba ba ba ba” choir in the background.
And then the last song, ‘In the Autumn’. The narcissism is back, as they chant “C-I-T-Y, Royal City,” serving as their own cheerleaders. Then, followed by a short pause, we get a minute of unpleasant screams.
Royal City has some good tracks that we enjoy listening to, but there are a few that definitely meet the skip button.