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6/20/2001
ROTO
Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the .mp3 of the week! I promise to be good from now on!
This week we have a song that is a collaboration between Charley from Land Speed Record and our label mates on resin -- Roto!
Roto is comprised of 2 men... Carleton Ingram and David Arbury, both of whom (who/whom???? I can never get that straight) used to be in Grendel, another Resin band.
The concept behind Roto is that the drummer would always be different for each show.... Cool idea... and when they needed to record they got four different people to play drums... two guys from QandNotU, Justin Moyer of Edie Sedgewick and Charley - who is the only noncool nonDischord guy to fill the revolving Roto shoes of temporary drummer.
If you ask me the idea works great! Roto's spankin' new album "The Low Power Hour" is awesome. I won't say that it rocks because that isn't the point of the music... but it is awesome .
So our MP3 of the week is "Wrecking Ball", the song that Charley was asked to do drums on....Of course Charley can't play drums very well so he cheated and did the song on the computer... (the main drum loop is actually played by LSR's drummer Jeff Bradford. LSR trivia buffs take note -- it is the same loop as on Bleeding Heart of Cement!)
Since it was done on computer it is an interesting combination of electronic and post-punk. At least as far as I am concerned.
I think it is pretty cool. If you like it buy the new ROTO album!!! Most of the record sounds nothing like this particular song but take my word for it... The record is awesome.
"Where can I buy it" you ask? I don't know... I guess you can email Carleton and ask.
Here is the review of ROTO from online e-zine Splendid:
"This unique duo's vocal delivery suggests a young Jello Biafra warbling through mid-tempo murky rock with a touch of country. Adding a measure of DC-flavored indie-punk to the mix, Roto's guitar work carefully steers through intricate notes, creating chunky tunes that turn a simple-sounding band into a power hungry dominator that dishes out burning DIY tracks. As The Low Power Hour progresses, Roto also explores computer sound interjections and manipulations, producing "Wrecking Ball" -- a fantastic anthem that sounds like a cool and collected Minor Threat. More than just another round of DC-outfitted punk, Roto reassesses traditional tonal damage and serves it up with the band's own unique perspective on mathy punk rock, glorifying rock's ongoing evolution."
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