Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell

For a song as musically simple as Ra Ra Riot’s ‘Can You Tell,’ the lyrics need to be ace for the song to work. In this case, unfortunately, the lyrics are vapid and directionless, and the song goes nowhere. There is no place in modern rock music for lyrics as clichéd and unimaginative as ‘What am I supposed to do? It’s hard to stay cool,’ or ‘Baby, Baby, Baby, Please, My heart sinks to my feet.’ Not even a moderately driving rhythm section and a basic melody that hearkens back to 50s radio can save this song from its lifeless fate.

On an album, ‘The Rhumb Line,’ that features such lush orchestration on most tracks, and much more innovative melodies on far catchier numbers throughout the strong record, it’s surprising that a song this aimless was chosen as a single. Ra Ra Riot have been through quite a bit of tragedy in order to finish this record, with the passing of their drummer/co-founder John Ryan Pike while on tour last summer, and have seen their way through it to make a great album. Don’t let this rather weak and atypical single cause you to miss out on what is an otherwise outstanding release.