Streetlights Like Fire

Rainer Maria “Lower Worlds”

I never paid much attention to Rainer Maria in their first run. I was aware of them and definitely checked them out a few times and decided it wasn’t for me. So it came as quite a surprise that this song, from their first new record in 11 years, completely blew me away. “Lower Worlds” sounds enormous, like Jane’s Addiction in “Mountain Song” mode but with Dave Navarro replaced with the organ player of Clinic. I love the overdriven organ tone on this – the chords sound distressed and saturated, and connect with the beat to create this crushing mechanical noise. Caithlin De Marrais’s voice cuts through the treble with a mostly staccato melody that seems to punch up through the din, like she’s trying to break out from beneath it. It’s an incredibly cathartic sound, and greatly amplifies the emotion of an already dramatic piece of music.

Buy it from Amazon.