Rothko - Truth Burns EP
(Foundry)
I can think of few bands that amaze me because of something they do as
opposed to the parts of songs they write. As a 3 piece that only play
bass guitars, Rothko are among those that do. I can't imagine how they
get some of the sounds on their songs out of a bass guitar.
Nonetheless, the sounds are definitely not the best thing about the
band. While it's really cool that they get those sounds from a bass
guitar, the music wouldn't succeed if the songs weren't good enough to
stand on their one, which in Rothko's case, they certainly are.
To creat their songs, Rothko uses gutteral rattlings and bubbling loops of
static provide the backdrop for
a melodic bassline to float in and out. Often, two basses accent
each other to make the foundation of the song, but rarely does a part make
it's presence so overbearing as to take precedence over the other
sounds. The Truth Burns EP is a short introduction to the band (just
over 15 minutes long), and shows both sides of the band: structured,
intricate instrumetals and droney atmosphere.
The first song "Shot
Through Gauze," is a noisy song with some meandering melodies. Not
noisy in the loud way but in the fuzzy way. "Roads Become Rivers"
follows and is the hit of the Ep. It's a structured song with two
basses playing off each other while the 3rd creates a backdrop of delay,
distortion, and a little melody.
I wanted to avoid it, but I'm going to
end this review with a Dianogah comparison. Only, Rothko would be a very laid
back version of Dianogah with a good deal more ambience. The 4th track was
co-written with Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins fame, who also produced
the EP. These 4 songs are enough to pique my interest, but I will need
much more to satiate my desire for hearing Rothko's music.
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