The sixth record by Hurray For The Riff Raff was my introduction to the band, and it’s
a consistently strong one. This was the
first record I fell in love with in 2017, and was in the running for top spot
early in the year. A bit of distance
means I now don’t see it quite as the masterpiece that I first did, but it
nonetheless is a wonderful record. It’s
perhaps most accurately, if reductively, described as Americana, but it’s an
album featuring influences from all over the place. There’s a cappella doo-wop (intro ‘Entrance’),
country-jazz (is that a thing? – ‘Rican Beach’), 70s New York new wave
(especially on the sing-along ‘Living In The City’), some gospel-folk reminiscent
of The Hidden Cameras’ masterpiece Home On Native Land from last year (‘Halfway
There’) and, at one point, a song structure that calls to my mind John Lennon (‘Pa’lante’). This is a varied
but coherent piece of work. Thematically,
The Navigator is a soulful journey
into hope, melancholy and mythology. The
lyrics variously explore the plight of Puerto Rico, the lot of Hispanic-Americans
generally, personal tales of both loss and gain, and the effects of
gentrification. As such, it has got its
sad parts, but also its fair share of joy, and about the right about of winking
knowingness here and there. Confident stuff.
sample track: Pa’lante