Ryan Ahler- Rixton released their CD “Let the road,” on March 3. While I may not be the band’s target audience, I can still tell that the music is not very good.
The CD’s hit single “Me and My Broken Heart,” hit number 14 on the Billboard hot 100 chart and has over 54 million views on youtube. The song’s hook is very catchy, which is perfect for a pop song, but the rest of the song is boring and forgettable.
“Let the Road,” the CD’s title track, is done in an almost acapela style, which is interesting. On the other hand, the song is very repetitive and drawn out. This problem continues throughout the CD, as many songs feel like the same 30 second segment repeated for a full four minute song.
Rixton does not have a sound that differentiates them from other musicians that get played on top 40 style radio stations. I am not expert, and I think you could play them and some other bands and I would be completely unable to tell them apart.
The CD’s packaging is very average. The front and back cover pictures seem to be awkwardly zoomed out. The booklet is very nice though and includes lyrics to many of the songs on the disc.
The packaging seems to play into the fact that the band cannot decide what their identity is. Some times their pictures make them seem to want to be a boy band, but all the music is too hipsterish.