May 15th, 2014 
Brian Leak 
Artist: Ras Xix
Album: Ras Xix
Genre: Progressive Rock, Alternative
From the opening minutes of Ras Xix‘s newest effort in the lead track “Weightless With You,” you’re greeted with an expansive sense of influences and varying styles of rock within one single selection. With a slight grunge aspect a la Nirvana, a hint of ska-punk akin to Tragic Kingdom-era No Doubt (see “Spiderwebs”), and a smooth and inviting vocal delivery that brings Brandon Boyd to mind, I’m immediately spanning my childhood in the ’90s and reminiscing on simpler times.
This all changes drastically upon entering the following track, “Nora 5.” While Ras’ initial vocal approach remains in tact, all the aforementioned styles are stripped away as the tone switches gears to a much slower and beautiful acoustic offering with light percussion, eventually adding dramatic strings in the background. Being a much more leisurely cut and spanning nearly six and a half minutes (the album’s longest by far), it’d be easy to bore the listener, but there’s something hypnotic and soothing about the track that you feel comfortable within. I just lay back with my eyes closed and soak it in each time.
The change in style, tempo, and pretty much any other aspect from the first to second track is a great indication of what to expect (or not to expect?) on Ras Xix for the remainder of its run-time. I’d prefer to not touch on all 11 tracks individually but you almost have to with how stylistically dynamic this effort is. Once again, with the third song, “Over,” Ras transforms and brings in a much heavier cut. Funky bass grooves, a hard rock chorus and impressive drum fills, with a peek into the range of Ras’ vocals (possibly channeling a little Serj Tankian at times) all aid in displaying even more sides to this artist’s level of growing talent.
There’s a great balance on this album, with a roller coaster flow of highs and lows as it twists and turns through many styles that should appeal to a vast majority of rock fans. Whether it’s the heavy and upbeat “Consent,” the sweetly melodic acoustic ballad “If It’s Gone,” or the fun and quirky, radio-friendly “Intergalactic Love Affair,” you’re bound to find something to smile about while listening to this album. While there’s certainly a lot of familiarity throughout the record, those moments never stay for long within one song, making the album as a whole feel both freshly unique and relatable. I have to admit that it’s hard to shake the thoughts of Incubus through the entirety of Ras Xix but that’s only due to Ras’ vocals mixed with a lot of the album’s smooth alternative groove. That’s not to say that Ras is intentionally mimicking Boyd’s style–I don’t feel that that’s the case at all. Ras’ sound feels natural, but even if he’s spent a lot of time with Incubus’ discography in the past, there are certainly worse people to be influenced by than Brandon Boyd, am I right?
SCORE: 7.8/10
Review written by: Brian Lion — (Follow him on Twitter)
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