Self-Released

Making an album with a group of friends is rarely a quick process – especially if your friends include in-demand musicians like Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Kevin Kendrick and Ween’s Dave Dreiwitz. RANA keyboardist/vocalist Matt Trowbridge recorded Radio Soap Star Opera in just seven days, but had to spread the sessions out over three years. For this album, the now part-time rocker and full-time Princeton, N.J. English teacher steps away from RANA’s downtown alternative, jam-rock and indulges his love of more orchestrated indie pop. With personal lyrics and a wider musical palette that includes horns, lap steel and vibes (courtesy of gorgeous playing from Kendrick), the music has one foot in multi-track psychedelia and the other in keys-driven singer/songwriter pop that doesn’t worry about coming off as cool or ironic. Highlights include the three Russo produced tracks, particularly “Jimmy and the Biker Dudes.”