The Riff Randells - Doublecross (2007) RESTORED

×

The Riff Randells - Doublecross (2007) RESTORED

Close

With their early releases (the first 7" has came out in the spring of 2000), the Riff Randells had the chance to package their brand of punk-pop that looked up to The Ramones, Joan Jett, and the Smugglers.

If you're going to name your band after one of the coolest Rock & Roll gals in movie history (see the classic Rock 'N' Roll High School for the details), you better have the snazz to back it up, and thankfully the Riff Randells deliver some appropriately fast, loud, hook-filled Rock & Roll on their debut long-player Doublecross. While the Riff Randells have been together since 1999, this is their first full-length release, though at under 24 minutes they're not exactly pushing the boundaries of the "album" concept. Still, the Riff Randells clearly know how to make the most of their time; Kathy Camaro's guitar leads are chunky, elemental fun and her vocals sound tough but engaging at once, while drummer Anne-Marie and bassist KJ Jansen drive the backbeat hard, and the tunes are poppy without turning into mush. Jay Solyom's engineering respects the rock without putting too high a gloss on the audio, and there isn't a noticeable dud in these 11 tracks. The Riff Randells aren't exactly the future of music, but that doesn't seem to be what they have in mind; these gals want to have some good loud fun, and Doublecross allows them to bring the Rock & Roll party into your living room, and a good time is bound to be had by all.

~ Mark Deming, all media guide

Despite eight years of line-up changes and pillow fights gone wrong, the Riff Randells manage to keep the emotional spectrum of their songwriting as narrow on Doublecross as the three chords they tend to recycle over and over again. Their first domestic full-length is almost totally concerned with either dating or not dating, which is all that this kind of bubblegum punk should be concerned with anyway. As the man behind the soundboard, Jay Solomon captures vocalist-guitarist Kathy Camaro's slashing guitar and Anne-Marie Rawk's airtight pounding with a minimum of disturbance, augmented by their latest temporary bassist, K.J. Jansen of Chixdiggit. It's as pure a document of the Riff Randells as we're likely to hear, and basically critic-proof thanks to the band's continuing monomania. Of the 11 tracks, the most immediate include a cover of the Little Girls's "Bandana", and "All I Know", which borrows from "Liar" by the Sex Pistols and allows Camaro to fake a snotty Valley Girl accent. The tones, attitude, and complete absence of anything recognizably modern will keep the Riff Randells afloat in the hermetic scene that loves them so much. In other words, large portions of Japan will be delighted with Doublecross, as will anybody who includes the Bobbyteens and Nikki Corvette on their MySpace page.

~ Adrian Mack, straight.com