Rialto
"Monday Morning,
5:19"
East West Records, 1997
b/w "Little Comedian" and "Kieslowski"
Rialto, the band formed by former Kinky Machine frontman Louis
Elliot and guitarist Jonny Bull, and named after a bankrupt
theater chain, have released their third single, "Monday
Morning, 5:19" on East West Records. The song is a chilling
pop tale about a man phoning his girlfriend, who had told him she
was planning to stay in, through the night and getting only her
answering machine. Backed by dramatic keyboards and a great
guitar hook, Elliot croons, " It's Monday morning 5:19 and
I'm still wondering where she's been, cause everytime I try to
call I just get her machine. And now it's almost 6am and I don't
want to try again, cause if she's still not back, well heaven
knows what then? Is this the end?" evoking images of late
night paranoia, and some heartfelt sympathy for the narrator.
Rialto have managed to create a catchy soundscape of perfect pop
tunes, easily hummable that make it far too easy to completely
miss the cynical and bitter undertones running through their
subject matter. The second track, "Little Comedian,"
begins with a nice soft guitar line and musically sounds sweet
enough to play for your mother on her birthday - that is until
Elliot hits you with the opening few lines:"Here comes the
star of this show, but he's got piss down his clothes...Ladies
and gentlemen let's have you warmest welcome for the world's
biggest little cunt." The end result again evokes sympathy
for the subject of the song, a man desperate for attention who
constantly makes a complete arse of himself. Rialto seem to be
well on their way to developing their own unique niche in the pop
community with their sympathetic cynicism and Spector-esque
songwriting sense. If their first album, slated for a March
release, doesn't make them mega -stars, it should certainly make
them cult heroes, for rarely has the music world seen such biting
humor combined with a sense of empathy. I must say the emergence of Rialto has been long overdue.