Rich Duncan
01/04/07, 08:01 PM
Roman Numerals - Roman Numerals
Label: Anodyne Records
Release Date: September 5th, 2006
The members of Kansas City’s Roman Numerals are no strangers to the music scene having been in hometown favorites such as Shiner, Dirtnap, and Season To Risk. The first time that members Billy Smith, Pete LaPorte, Steve Tulipana, and Shawn Sherill played together was a Halloween night at the Record Bar that Tulipana and Sherill own together performing in costume as Joy Division. They played so well together that they decided to take their fun fueled night of performing cover songs and turn it into a full-time band. Distancing themselves from the noisy guitar parts of their former bands, the members of Roman Numerals decided to take the sounds associated with bands like Joy Division and Interpol and adding a more danceable feel to them.
Roman Numerals begins with a two part song series entitled “My Life After Death PT.1 & PT.II”. “PT.1” is the darker of the two parts, with prominent bass lines littered throughout over shimmering guitars and gloomy synth melodies. Billy Smith’s vocals are subdued and somewhat muffled, in a sort of half sung half-spoken manner that does not fit the description of “danceable” aptly. “PT. 2” however, takes the darker style of “PT.I” and blends it with warmer synth melodies, more melodious vocals, and powerful drumming thus creating the type of danceable hits known for getting people dancing with reckless abandon on the Record Bar’s dance floor. Roman Numerals must not want those using this disc for dance party material to catch their breath, following it up with the even more dance-worthy “The Rule of V”, a surefire crowd pleaser for those who are not overly self-conscious when performing their dance “moves”.
“Can We Trust Your Architect?” is a musical oddball, featuring a gruff shout along chorus and a more rock leaning sound that does not fit with the other songs, however they do occasionally slip in the elements that compose the majority of the album. Roman Numerals correct their slip up with “Msr. Control”, which has a rock edge to it as well, but is seamlessly blended in with the darker indie sound that makes up a majority of the release. The second half of the release drags compared to the beginning, but the album closes on a strong note with “Deep Loft”. The trademark in-your-face bass lines make an appearance once again, but this track is not like the rest. The band finally experiments with a different vocal approach, having Smith share vocal duties with bassist Steve Tulipana. Their voices compliment each other well and at times Tulipana’s vocal style is vaguely reminiscent of Jeremy Enigk. The creative chances taken on this song pay off and make it one of the strongest tracks on the disc.
Roman Numerals is a satisfying debut, but ultimately lacks for most of the second half and often bites the sounds of Interpol and Joy Division a little hard. When the band is hitting on all the right cylinders, there songs are highly enjoyable such as the infectious “The Rule of V” and the creative “Deep Loft”. Roman Numerals sounds like a band that would have been a perfect fit in the 80’s music scene, and had they released a record back then, they would have been marginally successful. The album itself may be a little underwhelming; a few of these songs serve as excellent editions to that new indie rock mix CD you have been planning to make.
Label: Anodyne Records
Release Date: September 5th, 2006
The members of Kansas City’s Roman Numerals are no strangers to the music scene having been in hometown favorites such as Shiner, Dirtnap, and Season To Risk. The first time that members Billy Smith, Pete LaPorte, Steve Tulipana, and Shawn Sherill played together was a Halloween night at the Record Bar that Tulipana and Sherill own together performing in costume as Joy Division. They played so well together that they decided to take their fun fueled night of performing cover songs and turn it into a full-time band. Distancing themselves from the noisy guitar parts of their former bands, the members of Roman Numerals decided to take the sounds associated with bands like Joy Division and Interpol and adding a more danceable feel to them.
Roman Numerals begins with a two part song series entitled “My Life After Death PT.1 & PT.II”. “PT.1” is the darker of the two parts, with prominent bass lines littered throughout over shimmering guitars and gloomy synth melodies. Billy Smith’s vocals are subdued and somewhat muffled, in a sort of half sung half-spoken manner that does not fit the description of “danceable” aptly. “PT. 2” however, takes the darker style of “PT.I” and blends it with warmer synth melodies, more melodious vocals, and powerful drumming thus creating the type of danceable hits known for getting people dancing with reckless abandon on the Record Bar’s dance floor. Roman Numerals must not want those using this disc for dance party material to catch their breath, following it up with the even more dance-worthy “The Rule of V”, a surefire crowd pleaser for those who are not overly self-conscious when performing their dance “moves”.
“Can We Trust Your Architect?” is a musical oddball, featuring a gruff shout along chorus and a more rock leaning sound that does not fit with the other songs, however they do occasionally slip in the elements that compose the majority of the album. Roman Numerals correct their slip up with “Msr. Control”, which has a rock edge to it as well, but is seamlessly blended in with the darker indie sound that makes up a majority of the release. The second half of the release drags compared to the beginning, but the album closes on a strong note with “Deep Loft”. The trademark in-your-face bass lines make an appearance once again, but this track is not like the rest. The band finally experiments with a different vocal approach, having Smith share vocal duties with bassist Steve Tulipana. Their voices compliment each other well and at times Tulipana’s vocal style is vaguely reminiscent of Jeremy Enigk. The creative chances taken on this song pay off and make it one of the strongest tracks on the disc.
Roman Numerals is a satisfying debut, but ultimately lacks for most of the second half and often bites the sounds of Interpol and Joy Division a little hard. When the band is hitting on all the right cylinders, there songs are highly enjoyable such as the infectious “The Rule of V” and the creative “Deep Loft”. Roman Numerals sounds like a band that would have been a perfect fit in the 80’s music scene, and had they released a record back then, they would have been marginally successful. The album itself may be a little underwhelming; a few of these songs serve as excellent editions to that new indie rock mix CD you have been planning to make.