John Ralston

Needle Bed is the 11 track debut LP by John Ralston and it’s pretty decent… if you’re a fan of mellow indie rock. Lyrically, the songs have an emo feel for sure… and also a very welcoming feel in the love department, if you’re trying to score a chick!

The CD itself is emotionally charged to the max and the song “Gone, Gone, Gone,” is a perfect example if you want to understand what I’m talking about when I say “emotionally charged.” The song seems to be a “fuck you” to an ex-girlfriend; well that’s what I got from it at least. Through a soft and saddened singing style that rises into a strong honest vocal approach, the cry of frustration just is too much for this man John Ralston to handle. Though I’m sure all the 15 year old girls will love it (or any Dashboard Confessional fans for that matter). Overall, the album is very strong and all the songs boast powerful meaning’s that are true to John. You can tell right off the bat that he isn’t fake by any means. The dude is honest and that’s what you’re gonna get if you check this CD out… honesty!

While songs like “When We Are Cats” and ”Keep Me” are also very sad emoish tunes, songs like “I Believe In Ghosts” and “Hang A Sign” are definitely more on the indie rock side of things. If you’re not a fan of these styles of music, then I think this CD will more then likely leave you confused or just “Meh.” One thing I don’t like about the album is the fact that I don’t seem to hear any energy at all, but maybe it’s just that I’m not mellow enough to really appreciate this CD. The sound quality is very raw, so it’s not over produced by any means… the songs are real and the pain is real!

The drums are raw yet tight and the guitar has a weak tone, but so do most indie rock bands or “Indie Emo Rock” bands. The vocals are also decently tight, even though I’m not a big fan of the whole emo scene (as you can tell). The bass is pretty well done; it’s nice and punchy but kinda doesn’t have as raw of a feeling as the rest of the CD which makes this disc sound a little funny at times. All in all though it’s alright.

I give this CD 7.0 out of 10.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. No Catcher in the Rye
02. It’s Not Your Fault
03. Hang a Sign
04. When We are Cats
05. I Believe in Ghosts
06. No One Said It Was Easy
07. Gone Gone Gone
08. Time for Me to Ruin Everything
09. Keep Me
10. Avalanche
11. Our Favorite Record Skips

Run Time: 31:29