Bleeding Rainbow

By Mark Jenkins
Friday, February 8, 2013

No wonder the duo behind Bleeding Rainbow chose such a name: Noise hemorrhages from almost every pore of the Philadelphia indie-rock band’s likable new album, “Yeah Right.” Songs such as “You’re Not Alone” feature placid melodies, but their style is an oozing mess.

Actually, the bloody moniker was an afterthought. “Yeah Right” is the group’s third album, but the first under this name. The band began as Reading Rainbow, just the married duo of Sarah Everton and Rob Garcia. The new tag arrived along with two new members -- guitarist Al Creedon and drummer Greg Frantz. They give the music more punch, but mixing cheery tunes and growly sound has been Everton and Garcia’s design all along. The juxtaposition suits their favored lyrical themes, which include dreaming, drifting and falling.

The album begins with its longest track, the six-minute “Go Ahead,” which showcases most of the band’s gambits. It opens quietly, focusing on Everton’s soprano, but with a droning undertone that recalls John Cale’s Velvet Underground viola motifs. Gradually, Garcia’s voice enters, the tempo accelerates and the drums and guitars become more insistent.

Subsequent numbers aren’t as complicated yet employ the same elements. Even upbeat songs such as “Inside My Head” are somewhat foggy, mixing rock’s cathartic aggression with bleary subjectivity.