It’s hard not to compare Ra Ra Riot to the Arcade Fire. Both bands play string-driven chamber pop and have released debut albums heavily weighted by the death of loved ones. Riot’s drummer John Pike drowned last summer, but he’s eerily present on The Rhumb Line. The shockingly prescient “Dying Is Fine,” co-written by Pike, traipses along with mournful cellos before bursting into an uplifting dance-party chorus. This odd sorrow/celebration dynamic persists throughout the disc — “Winter ’05” has a winsome Sgt. Pepper–esque charm to it, but sadness is evident: “If you were here / winter wouldn’t pass quite so slow.” Still, positivity ultimately prevails; this sextet are most comfortable when they’re sparkling, as on bouncy, effervescent numbers like “Can You Tell.” Instead of soaking in melodrama like their pomp-pop contemporaries, Riot wring out catharsis by embracing life, and laughing at death.

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