Over The Rhine: Films For Radio

Though the "radio" part of the title of Over The Rhine's new album might be wishful thinking, the other half of the Films For Radio equation couldn't be more apt. In more than a decade of existence, the Cincinnati band has relied more on word of mouth than radio support, building a dedicated following with albums that always seemed to land in the wrong place at the wrong time. The group shed members as it evolved musically in ways its early folk-pop releases never suggested. Now pared down to the husband-and-wife creative team of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, Over The Rhine makes music that sounds custom-made for the montage sequences of some sweepingly romantic movie that offers no assurance of a happy ending. Similar in spirit, and occasionally in sound, to the work of Aimee Mann, Films For Radio offers unapologetically mature pop music that houses emotions more complex than the first rush of new love or the first crush of fresh heartbreak. However much they fill out their sound with drum loops and keyboards, Detweiler and Bergquist maintain an easy sense of intimacy that safely grounds their new expansiveness in the realm of human emotion. With its breathless, yearning vocals and sleepy drum loop, the album-opening "The World Can Wait" may sound a bit like an alternate-universe James Bond theme, but it works on that level. Much of the album stays in the same vein, balancing studio fussiness with sophisticated songwriting that keeps one ear cocked toward the little touches that make the biggest difference. This willingness to experiment while maintaining an appealing directness has kept Over The Rhine interesting, and with Films For Radio the duo has created a set of songs to savor, via radio or otherwise.