Singer/songwriter David Mirabella has been playing for years with people like Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Phil Aiken (Buffalo Tom), and Dan Cray (Beyond Id). When it was time to start his own band, David used Craigslist to find band members Brian Binkowski (drums), Matt Goldfield (keyboard), John Maloney (bass) and Kevin McMahon (guitar). Together they formed the Rationales. Sounding like Whiskeytown meets Tom Petty with a bit of The Rolling Stones thrown in. They just finished the debut EP “The Going and Ther Gone” with six tracks. The Americana roots based group stradles the line between pop and rock without really planting their feet firmly in each genre for long. “Guardrail” is a Wilco-like mid tempo number with an inventive bassline and backing organ that drives the melody to a lush chorus. Another great pop song here is “No Guarantees” – it has the power pop bounce and twang that Rhett Miller and Old 97s did at their poppiest. This continues into the awesome “Far Away” with a ghostly harmonomic in chorus and Mirabella’s vocals are very Jagger-like here. The catchy driving rhythms are also on the song “On the Vine” – it compares well with Wilco’s “Summerteeth”-era roots pop. I really look forward to a full album from The Rationales, as this is an excellent EP.
The Rationales web site | MySpace | CD Baby