4 out of 5

Label: Self-Starter Foundation

Producer: Jeff Boyd / Tony Rolando

Tony Rolando’s half-sexy half-stupid lyrics and whiny delivery reminded me of The Make Up, but their herky-jerk keyboard and guitar strut had a nice post-punk jive to it that really jumped out on their initial My Pal God Records release.  However, past the initial wonkiness, the album felt fairly thin.  Which is why The Ache feels like such a surprise, pummeling out of the gates with a bit more meat to its bones, the group really working together in a way that brings Sleater-Kinney to mind – everything rolling together, rapid-pace, each musician feeling at home even though altogether it makes for a unique sound.  But this aggression only makes up about half the album, the other half slipping into the more laid back vibe that John Congleton would (for better or worse) bring it in full force on the next release.  It was great to see Ragazzi make something of their buzz with this album, but completely ditching the initial hook that made them a buzz band is what made the good parts of this album great… It’s too bad they couldn’t deliver a whole package of such commitment.