SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE RALLIES – NO BETTER TIME

THE RALLIES
NO BETTER TIME
INDEPENDENT

With No Better Time, by The Rallies, it feels that summer has officially started. The Rallies are a four-piece band based in Seattle. No Better Time, their fourth album, is the perfect spring/summer album. It is full of love songs, hope, optimism and it simply makes you feel good while listening to it.

The Rallies have come up with an album full of songs that continues in the fashion of 1960s and 1970s pop. A bit of Beatles, a bit of Raspberries, a bit of Big Star, mix it all together and you get The Rallies. Their songs are still original and have their own distinct sound, but they clearly are influenced by that genre of music. The beauty is that they do it so well. The steady rhythm of guitars, the strong backing vocals and the catchy melodies. It is an album that invites you in and creates a world of sunshine and all good things.

And there are surprises, such as “Comes And Goes,” where the opening brings to mind Roxy Music’s “The Bogus Man” with the opening bass riff, but it quickly shifts. “Open Your Mind” is a short excursion into psychedelic rock and splits the album perfectly. The first half of the album is the ‘honeymoon phase’ of a relationship, while the second half is more about the struggles and complexities, while remaining optimistic. The closing track, “If Only,” is a beautiful and wistful song that brings everything together. It is a perfect closing song.

Much like Canada’s The James Clark Institute, The Rallies are on a mission to keep strong melodies played by humans in music. The goal of the album is to have fun and the album leaves you feeling good. That doesn’t mean the lyrics are trite, because it is quite the opposite. But there is no anger, no doom and gloom, only feel-good pop-rock. Quite frankly, the world could use more of this. No Better Time is an excellent album; it is well produced and sounds great. The playing and vocals are bang on and is the perfect soundtrack for the spring and well into the summer. And, the band is quite right, there is No Better Time than now for this album.

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