Early in my time at KCRW, someone at a party asked me, “What’s your ‘Go-To’ band? Your failsafe band?” And, without skipping a beat, I said “The Rapture.”
Sub Pop and in particular the single “Out of the Races and Unto the Tracks” is a timeless and era-defining hand grenade of a jam. Since then The Rapture cruised past the dreaded “sophmore slump” with the even MORE era-defining “Echoes” LP for DFA.
An album SO remarkably stunning that Pitchfork named it their Album of the the Year (in 2003) and pop-star Justin Timberlake used their “House of Jealous Lovers” as his intro music on his massive worldwide tour. They then toured exhaustively, signed a major label record deal and recorded their follow-up record with a who’s-who of superstar producers. This explosion in popularity sadly went sour and turned into group infighting and tumult that threatened to destroy what was potentially the most exciting “underground” band in the world.
Time heals all wounds, they say. They also say you can never go home again. Well, some time has gone by, and although they had some lineup changes, The Rapture licked its wounds and absolutely came back home again.
Today, September 6th 2011, DFA is releasing their 4th LP (very graciously titled) “The Grace of Your Love.” The initial single, “How Deep is Your Love?” is one of those tracks that plays coy, but when you finally let it in…you fall madly in love with it and it bangs endlessly. It plays like classic Rapture, but with a magnificent sax solo and a pop hook coda reminiscent of Sisqo’s Thong Song. The rest of the album also has a number of lovely twists that I think qualify as next level leaps and bounds, like the booming cumbia-tinged, “Come Back to Me,” and plaintive album opener “Sail Away.”
The Rapture has always been indelible. The Rapture is now completely undeniable.
The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love by DFA Records
(Download the track for free here)
In support of this new album, The Rapture is touring extensively this fall and have selected LA’s very own super rad slo-mo disco duo Poolside to tour with them this October. They’ll be at The Music Box on the 6th and at the Glasshouse in Pomona on the 7th.
To answer both bands questions, I do believe an the love is deep. Very deep.
– Mario Cotto