Rusty

by lurching turns both brutal and delicate, rodan take the great dynamics of slint and add their own gorgeous bombast. if you enjoyed any of the early - mid 1990's quiet/LOUD bands (slint, hurl, codeine, etc.) and you somehow missed this jewel, well somehow it's still in print, so buy it now. you'll be glad you did.

No other group working in the post-punk sub-classification of math rock can or could match Rodan's intensity; "Rusty" is by far the most heavily aggressive release in this genre. With the exception of the all-instrumental opening cut, "Bible Silver Corner", there is a ferocity, an almost maniacal edge, to the rest of the tracks (particularly "Shiner", "The Everyday World of Bodies", and "Tooth Fairy Retribution Manifesto") despite the razor-sharp changes in transitional flow typically associated with other bands who work this vein. I once read a review of "Rusty" shortly after its release that compared Rodan's sound to the perfect marriage of Sonic Youth and Helmet, but I don't sense the virtuosity (and the preciousness that often merged together with it) characterizing those bands. Rodan's music is more visceral, is more to be reacted to then to be an object of aesthetic appreciation. Maybe it's the muscular, heavyweight, intricately structured drumwork of Kevin Coultas. Or perhaps it's the contrast between crisp, assured low-key spoken vocal delivery of Jason Noble (teamed occasionally with Tara O'Neil) and the Drano-gargling howls of Jeff Mueller, trading off verses during every song but "Tooth Fairy". Nevertheless, O'Neil's penetrative basslines and Mueller's heavily-gauged sandpaper-like riffing are what separate Rodan from near-contemporaries Shellac; while Mueller subdivides the fretwork into multiplicative pealing during the quieter interludes within each song, you can sense that eruption is more preferable than cultivating tension. In the end it's what made the dissolution of this band after recording their only release all the more frustrating; together, they were heavy.

Probably the best of the post-punk genre, Rodan captures depression, aggression and frustration in 43 fabulous moments. This is an album not to missed! I just wished they had followed it up with another.

If you've arrived at this CD the same way I did (through this website's "If You Bought This, You'll Like THIS" feature) then there's a good chance you are a fan of Slint. If you've never heard of Slint, I'd recommend buying their "Spiderland" album first, since that would be the center of gravity around which all of these off-shoots revolve.While "Rusty" by Rodan is a great album, it's not exactly what I was expecting after reading the other reviews here. The first track, "Bible Silver Corner", does recall the ocean of guitar drones and chimes that I would typically relate with Slint and similar bands (such as Mogwai and The For Carnation). But beginning with the second track, it turns into an up-tempo, angular punk buzz while the vocals flip back and forth between a scream and a soft, almost unintelligble spoken word. If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if a punk band decided to make a prog-rock album, well, stop wondering and check out "Rusty".If I had to compare this album to anything by Slint, I'd say it most closely resembles the heavier moments on Slint's first album, "Tweez". The songs on "Rusty" seem to thrive on harsh contrast by sprinkling a few melodic interludes in between the buzz, but these passages never really take their own direction - instead, they seem more like shortcuts back to the main road. So, since I bought this album expecting "Spiderland" but instead I wound up with an earful of "Tweez", I figured it be nice to post a review here that got a little more specific than the typical "If you like Slint, you'll like Rodan" offerings.

This album changed my view of music forever. Before I understood nothing of patience with music, of letting a theme develop, of any song structure that was different from verse-chorus-verse...but the day I made this purchase was a fateful one indeed. Throughout its forty-two minute duration, the band members and producer Bob Weston craft unimagined soundscapes, pull meditative melodies from spare arrangements, assault the senses with aggressiveness unknown to any type of rock music, and create an air of haunting mystery that can only leave the listener addicted. It happened to me, people.All of the songs stand alone themselves..."Bible Silver Corner" is the plaintive opening instrumental, deceptively introducing a mood that is both comforting and disturbing at the same time..."The Everyday World of Bodies" is Rodan's epic signature tune, with it's army of vocalists weaving together a mysterious story of love, betrayal, life, and death..."Gauge" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock songs ever written...the song manages to go everywhere in seven minutes but maintain a cohesiveness and pensive beauty throughout.However, the thing you notice most on first listen will be the overall unity of the album. Weston aided the band in bringing these songs together as one...the track order coupled with the brilliant use of feedback ties the songs together into one work of art rather than several.If you are a fan of any type of music with an experimental edge (especially those of an indie vein), you don't know the first of it until you get your hands on this album. Solid yet trippy drumming, fractured yet intricate guitars, pummeling yet melodious bass-playing, and the combined effort of three excellent vocalists make this album one of a kind. Ten stars, baby.

indolore sembrava il clima: ma niente esula dalla caduta, niente dall'esplosione. La media dell'autunno, così, precipita. Così risale. Io sono la china, dice la foglia prima di sparire, disintegrata dal tempo.

Amazing albummeant to be heard on vinyl

おいしいです。FUGAZIっぽいですがこちらのほうが聴きやすいと思います。一曲目「Bible Silver Corner」がなんとも名曲で所謂ジャンクロックのそれとはかけ離れてるのですがこれはこれで最高なのです。正直この曲聴いて買うの決めました。他の曲も最初はピンと来なかったのですが何回か聴いてるうちに魅力に気づいてきた感じです。全体的に長尺な曲が多いですが飽きさせない工夫がされていて好感が持てます。同じフレーズのループで稼ぐやり方はあまりしてません。願わくばリマスタ再発してほしいです。(ちと音圧が低いです)あと、古い在庫だったからなのかケースがボロボロで送られてきました＾＾；梱包中に気づくでしょ・・・。