Ral Partha Vogelbacher

It's a damn shame when truly great cover art is wasted on a not-so-great record. Kite Vs. Obelisk, the second album from San Francisco's Ral Partha Vogelbacher, is the type of album art that tricks you into buying it without listening first. It's the kind of record that just has to be good, even if it sounds half as nice as it looks. Glancing at the artwork, you're fooled into thinking that Kite Vs. Obelisk is a life-changing IDM masterpiece, but instead we're treated to an uninspired version of the slacker's brand of indie rock. Falling way short of the lo-fi, mishmash approach that acts like Elf Power and Lou Barlow have perfected, RPV is trying too hard to sound like they're not trying at all. You have to be a great songwriter to pull off sounding like this, and good songwriters they are not. And so, the disc has found it's way into the trashcan and the artwork hangs on my wall as a reminder that you really can't judge a book by its cover.