Ralfe Band’s fourth studio album draws heavily upon contemporary literature and ancient mythology. For instance, the opening track Pale Fire takes its title from a Nabokov novel that dwells upon the nature of human consciousness.
The release comes a full ten years since the band’s last long player, ‘Son Be Wise’ from 2013; “it’s taken far longer than I would have hoped” says Oly Ralfe.
Mostly recorded in Oxford and London, 'Achilles Was a Hound Dog' features the regular Ralfe Band musicians: Garo Nahoulakian on guitar and bass, Nick Fowler playing bass and guitar, Mike Monaghan on drums and vocalist Emma Faulkner.
The tunes document strange encounters, dark visions and occasional struggles with sanity. The latter is most evident in A Thousand Miles Away where ”spiders are in my brain today.”
Looking For Eureka is a song about finding the elusive muse amid all the chaos of daily life: “I need a safe house that I can hide in While the mad ravens gather outside.”
Ralfe’s says: “For me, these songs are almost like an abstract diary where reality, memories and dreamlike narratives collide.”
The desire for release from inhibitions is a recurring theme; in A Day A Week A Month A Year, Ralfe sings “I’ll start the day as a little child and I’ll run into the woods where I can feel wild.”
Soundwise, the album is a jumble of styles with nods towards baroque pop, indie rock and avant jazz. The twelve songs include a couple of two minute instrumentals - Scissorlock and Octobermen.
It is left for the listener to decide the answer to the question posed during the final track (Howl) : Is this the perfect collapse Or a final act of reason?
