Musically, as the title suggests, this is a tribute to Husker Du, one of the greatest bands of the 80s underground and the soundtrack to a lot of ill-advised tomfoolery on my part besides. The lyrics are also, actually, very similar to the stuff Bob & Co. were putting out back in the day.

All of this may make you think that this band is unoriginal. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To do a review of the song alone would not be doing this band justice, so let's talk about them for a bit. First off, they are incredibly prolific. There is a ton of material on their site, and all of it is excellent. It also goes all over the place, stylistically, from psychedelia to metal to jazz to wherever. This is the work of genius, and why they haven't already been signed by an indie label is completely beyond me.

The one area in which this band fails to excel, and fails rather badly, is in production - In my winamp window, the top third of the spectrum analyzer rarely sees any action when these guys are playing - I suspect this was all recorded on a cheap 4 track, and the fidelity is roughly comparable to that cassette copy of Led Zeppelin IV you bought in 1985. On the other hand, this doesn't really interfere with your enjoyment of the music unless you're an audiophile, in which case I suggest you go buy another Kenny G album, go home and shut your whiny ass up.

PS. Change the colours on your page, guys. I had to highlight the text in order to read it.

Today's selection has a jazzy groove that gets more under your skin with each listen. The groove is accompanied by a bassy keyboard part which spars with a tasty guitar and its left side counterpart. One of the things I like about this band is that they leave in little glitches here and there, which gives the music an honesty that is rarely seen these days.

As was the case before, points are lost for the production, which is better this time around than the last one, but still leaves a lot to be desired. However, this is a minor issue.

Also, the colours of the page at mp3.com might have been chosen by Henry Rollins after the breakup of a particularly bad relationship: a dark purple on a black background. Fortunately, they eschewed the bad angst-ridden poetry.

Everyone should go listen to everything this band has out, right now, and then buy their albums too.

        
Charisma:         9.00         
Technical Skill:         9.50         
Interest:         9.50         
Recording Quality:         6.50         
Long Term Appeal:         9.50         
OVERALL:         8.80

To call roAE a ‘prolific’ act would be an understatement; I first encountered this band way back in 2001 in writing reviews for GOM; flash-forward to today, and the group (or the one-man show, I never could tell) are still going strong, and I find other glistening piece of new material dropped in my lap. Normally, I decline to review an artist multiple times – but since it’s been such a long while, let’s give it a spin. Here’s what roAE says in describing ”Dedicated to the Late Brett Compton…”: “intro, establishment, incidence, regression, coincidence, resolution, dead heavy.” And here’s what I say:

Good Points:

This piece is witty. From the most mediocre of beginnings imaginable (I myself was left wondering how bad a piece of music this was going to be), it slowly builds up until what you’ve already heard is totally spun on it’s head with a heavy, punching ending segment that leaves you gasping for air, yet somehow staying true to the opening ethos. In the ‘Similar Artist’ field I wrote for this track “Radiohead being chased by Slipknot”. And whilst a funny mental image, it is an imperfect description; for the beginning doesn’t really sound like Radiohead, nor does the outro really sound much like Slipknot – only in terms of the spirit of the music that lays underneath. The beginning is melodic, abstract and somewhat jaunty in a manner Thom Yorke would be proud of; the latter is a direct hardcore kick-to-the-crotch that gives no warning of it’s arrival, shaking you about before leaving you dazed and wondering well after the track has finished. I like.

Bad Points:

As noted, the first few passages are mediocre; if you didn’t know there was something coming up later on in the track, you might well switch off after the first minute if you are just a casual listener. A point worth bearing in mind. And texturally, the ‘twangy-vibrating’ guitar lines that form a major part of that opening do not sit well with this reviewer, actually causing irritation instead. A minor point? You decide. Overall the juxtaposition between the instrumental beginning and the heavy use of vocals / vocal samples in the last piece works well, but I do wonder if this piece would be more effective with some sort of vocal accompaniment for the first section that fitted the ambience before the storm – perhaps room here to experiment with this track some more?

Final Word:

I like this piece. It is two-and-a-bit minutes long and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. It manages to combine together creatively some very different sounds in an almost surreal fashion that you may or may not have heard before, or like, or find worthwhile to listen to. Personally, I’m glad this act is still going and at every opportunity I seize the new tracks that seem to be present every time I visit the page. To date on my hard-drive, there are 89 tracks by roAE, and I am certain there are some I have missed. That’s the prolific artist for you.

- Anton Wulfen

If you disagree, I'd love to hear from you - and if you agree, I'd love to hear from you even more! Click on the feedback link below.
        
Charisma:         7.50         
Technical Skill:         8.00         
Structure:         10.00         
Interest:         8.50         
Performance:         9.00         
Recording Quality:         8.50         
Long Term Appeal:         7.50         
OVERALL:         8.40

Dear God, I was born into the wrong country.

As if watching 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' multiple times didn't confirm it, listening to this beautiful piece by roAE only confirms the fact that I should really, really have been Chinese. Either that or a Chihuahua or something.

But personal weirdness aside, this goes straight into my top playlist with a bullet. The tune is as dynamic as it is diverse in the images it creates, haunting guitar with toe-tapping bass, haunting ambience compiled with hummable tune. Best tune I've heard in ages. And you can quote me on that*.

The introduction to this fantastic piece is through wistful guitar sounds, rendered in stereo glory (I recommend wearing headphones to listen). It definitely has an oriental feel to the piece. And then there's the ambience behind it which brings you straight into this wonderful haunting, hummable chorus with the bass providing the melody and it is absolutely catchy; totally unique in the way it presents itself. The entire piece is in this format, and it is a wonderful, wonderful effect.

But I am going to raise the complaint about its length. It doesn't nearly have the length it could have. It's like listening to a piece by Steve Reich and only hearing two minutes of it. Sounds like these are supposed to be musical *experiences* not pieces, and I would have felt totally comfortable listening to fifteen minutes of the music, rather than the scant three or so minutes that encompass it.

There is a great deal of musicianship in this song, and I very highly recommend it to anyone, anyone who appreciates good music. roAE deserves *much* more promotion.

*Feel Privileged

- Anton Wulfen

        
Charisma:         8.50         
Technical Skill:         8.50         
Structure:         8.00         
Interest:         9.00         
Performance:         9.00         
Arrangement:         8.50         
Recording Quality:         9.00         
Long Term Appeal:         8.50         
OVERALL:         8.60

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/roaemusic.htm

http://www.soundclick.com/roae

http://www.pagodaproductions.com/roae

OK, I haven’t been smoking anything, but this record makes me feel like I have. roAE is the brainchild of Nicholas Viltrakis and is an odyssey into the bizarre aspects of musical recording. Viltrakis writes, plays and records all of the music himself and has put out 13 albums to date. “The Riddle,” “s(nail)” “place to travel” and “the boundary” are all good listens. The songs are catchy and skillfully written; plus there are a couple ‘studio tricks’ on this recording like back-masking (playing recorded tracks backwards) and clever vocal effects that remind me of groups like the Butthole Surfers and Mr. Bungle.

Overall I will say that this recording is very impressive for a one-man gang and is worth the listen. You can here tons of roAE (pronounced row A) songs and find information about getting c.d.’s on the links provided above. I truly look forward to hearing more music from roAE in the future.