Roma 79

After finding out that Roma 79 had written and recorded the soundtrack for Comedy Central’s Porn ‘N’ Chicken, an informative and insightful documentary on the finer things in life, I was a bit skeptical as to what the band would sound like. When I actually listened, the result was surely nothing I had anticipated, but in the words of Martha Stewart, that’s a good thing.

Above all else, this trio hailing from San Francisco know how to craft a quality song, and over the course of fifty minutes, those songs are crafted in one of two ways. The first approach the band takes is one of mid-tempo, spacey rock tracks, and the other is a more thick, atmospheric shoegaze sound, and Roma 79 have enough know how to make both seamlessly integrate into the album together, avoiding a lot of the problems that less seasoned musicians might run into.

Since the band is a trio, there’s no room for anyone to be slacking off, and that bodes well for them right from the outset. Singer Jeremy Patfield handles bass duties, while Andew Skinke and Aaron Bonsall take care of guitar and drums, respectively. The more rockish side to the band's personality dominates the playing time of the album, but those sheogazer tracks make up for quantity in being arguably the best songs on the album. “Gold” sticks out above the rest, with its layered soundscapes and wistful falsetto. Patfield has that natural ability to manipulate his voice in such a way that should make any listener simply gravitate towards him. It’s honest, sincere, and just enjoyable to sit back and take in. The textures in “Gold,” and the following track “4M01” offer up an absolutely perfect template for this. The three musicians coalesce in a manner that’s essential for success with music like this, making each minute a more pleasurable listening experience than the last. The aforementioned “4M01” has an extremely serene, relaxed feel to it, with such delicate guitar tones and light drum fills it almost seems they aren’t being played at all.

While those tracks appear to find the band really in their element, they do branch out with more up-tempo, rhythm driven material. “Kill the Sun’s” jangly chord progressions and underlying bass make for a slick and effective delivery, even if it seems the band would be more at home at a lower tempo. The songs are still bright and full of vigor, while maintaining a lot of the same qualities that make the shoegazer material so damn good. The epic, nine-minute “The Spin” takes this faster material and pushes it to the absolute limits, not in speed, and not in power, but in the ability to craft a song well enough to hold the attention of a listener without those sort of tools. It’s impressive to say the least. The last three minutes of the song sound like something directly from the Cure’s “Disintegration.”

Simply an enjoyable record, The Great Dying impresses on all fronts. “Gold,” “The Spin” and “M401” alone make it worth a purchase, and the rest of the album will only help to keep you coming back.