Rainer Maria
Madison, WI, emo trio Rainer Maria emerged in 1995 from the ashes of another poetically inclined local combo, Ezra Pound, reuniting singer/guitarist Kyle Fischer and drummer William Kuehn. Enlisting singer/bassist Caithlin De Marrais, within six weeks Rainer Maria recorded their first demo cassette, quickly selling out all 350 copies. Following a handful of compilation appearances, the group resurfaced in 1996 with a self-titled EP on Polyvinyl; the single "New York: 1955" appeared in early 1997, heralding a shift toward the more subtle melodicism of th...[more]
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From the bombastic, gorgeous opening cut "Mystery and Misery" to its funereal closing track, "Long Knives Drawn" is comprised of nine incendiary performances that hardly pause for breath. While so many of their contemporaries have turned in limpid, mid-tempo third or fourth efforts as they find themselves playing to a broader audience, Rainer Maria have taken the opposite tack, delivering a fearless and ferocious rock album.
CD $13.99
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After postponing this record for three months to continue revision, Rainer Maria emerge clutching the masterwork of the postpunk literati: "A Better Version of Me." Singer Caithlin De Marrais sounds positively remade. Viscerally affecting, but not eviscerated -- listen to "Hell and High Water." Check the high notes on "Thought I Was." Her bass playing is adroit and smooth, and on tracks like "Atropine," triplets well up from the bottom octave. Guitarist Kyle Fischer has torn apart and tweaked out every piec [ read more ]
CD $11.99
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Rainer Maria's Ears Ring is a three-song EP, recorded in the same sessions as their upcoming fourth album. You'd imagine a voice this big couldn't fit inside a person or on a record. You'd think drumming this combustible would be illegal to ship across state lines. You'd assume guitar playing this elastic would snap, and the loose end of it might put your eye out. This is rock music at its most dangerous at a time when it could once again be effective. Simply put, a burst of glory and fury like findi [ read more ]
CDep $7.99
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Insound LP+MP3! Purchase the vinyl format of Better Version of Me and you'll receive a link to download the MP3s for free immediately after check-out! VINYL FORMAT. After postponing the record for three months to continue revisions, and then burning through nearly a month of 18-hour days in the studio, Rainer Maria emerge clutching a masterwork of the postpunk literati: "A Better Version of Me." Singer Caithlin De Marrais sounds positively remade. Viscerally affecting, but not eviscer [ read more ]
LP $10.99
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Rainer Maria's Look Now Look Again could quite possibly be the last great album from the now tired emo rock scene. Using the loud-soft dynamics of emo and the catchy playfulness of indie pop proves to be a delicious combination, and Rainer Maria pull it off with grace and intelligence. Sometimes sentimental, but never too sappy, Look Now Look Again showcases the band's strongest attributes: boy-girl vocal dueling, stripped down production to reveal the core emotion of a song, and the melodic and furious att [ read more ]
CD $12.99
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This double CD/DVD set includes live, digitally remastered audio tracks collected over the past four years, as well as footage from their March 2003 show in Chapel Hill, NC (a concert which was part of the landmark Polyvinyl 2003 Winter Tour that saw Rainer Maria co-headlining with Mates Of State, Owen, and Saturday Looks Good To Me). With over two-and-a-half hours of material, this release is sure to delight old and new fans alike.
2xCD + DVD $15.99
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Insound LP+MP3! Purchase the vinyl format of Hell and High Water and you'll receive a link to download the MP3s for free immediately after check-out! This slender volume encompasses an excerpt of Rainer Maria's forthcoming, full length. Meticulously edited by Mark Haines and Elliott Dicks at Smart Studios and published through Polyvinyl Press, "Hell and High Water" offers an enticing -- if painfully brief -- glimpse into what may be the "meisterwerk" of the postpunk literati.
7" $4.00
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The EP was recorded at Pachyderm Studio with producer Mark Haines just a few days before the band's move to New York. The three songs showcase Rainer Maria at their most intimate, opening with grinding, angular guitar and Pachyderm's patented open drum sound. The music slams into soft focus on "Atlantic" and makes as if to recede, then blooms in a bittersweet ending. Wipe the slate clean; clear the tabula rasa. Listen to it three times and it could be an album. For a minute, anything seems possible. Reco [ read more ]
CDep $6.99
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Rainer Maria takes a unique approach to traditional emocore on Past Worn Searching, building their frenetic songs from a groundwork of delicate guitars and lovely male/female duet vocals. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
CD $9.48
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Insound LP+MP3! Purchase the vinyl format of Look Now Look Again and you'll receive a link to download the MP3s for free immediately after check-out! VINYL FORMAT. The LP has been out of print for nearly a decade. It set the high standard for which Rainer Maria will always be viewed. LP is on premium 180-gram vinyl and includes a digital download code.
LP $13.99
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The debut full-length by RAINER MARIA, the beautifully powerful Madison, WI trio shows off the dueling male/female vocals and the well-crafted instrumentation that RM has been built on. Memorable guitar dissonance?
MP3 $10.49
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