Riff Wood
Butterfly In Black And White
Giant Music
It seems hard times are conducive to great art, and if you need proof, look no further than Riff Wood. As the world is perched precariously on the precipice of destruction, this trio have emerged from the suburbs of Utah to ensure that if the world does perish in a ball of fire, Riff Wood are going to give it a hell of a soundtrack. As is common with many punk bands from the States, Riff Wood place great emphasis on melody and song structure, meaning that no matter how rowdy things get (and they get pretty raucous), there’s an anchor to counteract their buoyancy. It’s a neat tension of opposites between the tuneful and discordant, the thirteen tracks comprising Butterfly In Black And White walking that fine line somewhere in between. It means the likes of ‘Punk’ and ‘Tapeworm’ come pit ready and have an instant sing-along quality that’ll soon render them live favourites. As with the band’s sound, so is the pacing of the album; for every frenetic rocker there are more introspective moments to be found, such as on the Beatlesque Melancholy Lane. It all conspires to make Butterfly In Black A White a multicoloured affair.
https://www.facebook.com/riffwoodband
Review by Peter Dennis