Rafter Roberts has “Sweaty Magic”

Playing the new album at The Ruby Room, Rafter doesn’t disappoint

Peter Cho / Managing Editor / The USD Vista

Packed to the brim with hipsters wielding paper-bag clad PBR tall-cans (Pabst Blue Ribbon for the uneducated) and faces dripping with sheer irony, the Ruby Room played host to The Widows, Rafter and the Grand Ole Party. Rafter Roberts, the front man of Rafter, played tracks from his latest album “Sweaty Magic.”

Take a pinch of Hot Chip, a dash of Of Montreal and a whole hell of a lot of chaos and the end product will sound something like “Sweaty Magic.” With music that is sometimes danceable, other times disconcerting and most of the time quite enjoyable, Rafter Roberts had the crowd bobbing their heads to what one could describe as musical schizophrenia.

Both his live performances and albums don’t appear to follow any rhyme or reason and have all the structure of a Jackson Pollock painting. This isn’t to say that the experience wasn’t enjoyable. In fact, coming from the man who helped to produce the music of artists such as Sufjan Stevens and The Album Leaf, one can’t help but wonder if there is genius underlying the madness.

Rafter’s latest endeavor, “Sweaty Magic,” is the first album that seems closely knit as far as a theme is concerned. Although previous albums have been pegged more as alternative or indie rock, this album takes dance, electronic and a little bit of funk to create a musical experience that you could call happy-go-lucky wackiness.

Overall, the album isn’t something that you’ll want to listen to while studying as it will most likely induce a form of forced ADHD, but if you’re feeling like you want some tracks to get a little crazy to, “Sweaty Magic” can definitely get the job done.