ROOMRUNNER
"Ideal Cities"
Overview:
This Baltimore-based quartet are sure to grab your ears upon first listen. Brash at first to the ears, and elements of noise rock will almost deter you, but once the Denny Bowen’s vocals kick in, they invite you in and feel like the missing piece for the rest of the music. The band harkens early Foo Fighters guitar tones that spoon neatly in with tight drums and bass. The opening track “Bait Car” mainly stays in the rarely used 7/4 time. A signature that can make music feel awkward and angular, or it can seem like unlike any other 4/4 time. This go around – the boys nailed it. Every track has distinct guitar work – not just in moments of complexity, but in texture. There’s hiss in the amps and split-second feedback the justifiably suit the band and the tunes. Songs that truly stand out would be “Weird” with its whirlwind of riffs and “Duno” with its apathetic melodies. After a few listens, the album feels like it is almost 20 years too late, but just in time. It’s what rock is missing, daring to be loud and abrasive, heavy enough to stand out but shying away from the borderlines of metal, and smirking at it.
Smells like:
Something chemical, leaking from… somewhere.
Tastes like:
Slim pickens of streetmeat in the wee hours of the night.
Feels like:
Speeding on dirt roads with flat tires.
Looks like:
Giant, happy, dancing wizards
These dudes are partyin' on these websites:
This Baltimore-based quartet are sure to grab your ears upon first listen. Brash at first to the ears, and elements of noise rock will almost deter you, but once the Denny Bowen’s vocals kick in, they invite you in and feel like the missing piece for the rest of the music. The band harkens early Foo Fighters guitar tones that spoon neatly in with tight drums and bass. The opening track “Bait Car” mainly stays in the rarely used 7/4 time. A signature that can make music feel awkward and angular, or it can seem like unlike any other 4/4 time. This go around – the boys nailed it. Every track has distinct guitar work – not just in moments of complexity, but in texture. There’s hiss in the amps and split-second feedback the justifiably suit the band and the tunes. Songs that truly stand out would be “Weird” with its whirlwind of riffs and “Duno” with its apathetic melodies. After a few listens, the album feels like it is almost 20 years too late, but just in time. It’s what rock is missing, daring to be loud and abrasive, heavy enough to stand out but shying away from the borderlines of metal, and smirking at it.
Smells like:
Something chemical, leaking from… somewhere.
Tastes like:
Slim pickens of streetmeat in the wee hours of the night.
Feels like:
Speeding on dirt roads with flat tires.
Looks like:
Giant, happy, dancing wizards
These dudes are partyin' on these websites: