Seeing as how this release was introduced to me as a "political" work, I was a little reluctant to dive in. I've always been wary toward the pre-requisite approach to politics, which are ubiquitous enough without needing to put up sign-posts. Thankfully, Roommate (a.k.a. Chicagoan, Kent Lambert) isn't making music to soundtrack Robert Greenwald films with. This is personal, poetic stuff that needs not be called something so cold as "political." Though "the war" is elicited, there is never the sense that Lambert is soap boxing. The brief "War Talk" goes, "We don't talk about the war, we just talk about ourselves...," but its sparse delivery doesn't come across in an admonishing way. It feels more like a muted moment of existential puzzlement. "The war" could just as easily be "the genocide" or "the hurricane" or "the economy." Every now and then, our bubbles get popped, and it can just as easily be alienating as enlightening. Well, anyway, that's what I get from the tune.
Tone-wise this is mostly a melancholic listen, but there's a constant play of whimsical noises and ephemeral swathes of confectionary static. I suppose Roommate doesn't sound all that original, but the album is a rewarding experience if you can get past yet another reedy male tenor. There are A LOT of Indie artists who sing like Lambert. Which is part of the reason I'd site "Fresh Boys," with its heavily flanged vocals, as a highlight. It provides a welcome respite from the pretty, yet maybe too pretty, crooning all over this disc. If you were more taken with the second cLOUDDEAD album than the first, this album might be for you. Though there are some shoegazey kicks here and there (particularly at the end of the last tune), Songs is largely a pretty crisp, grounded affair. On the other hand, this album is like an intricate, attention-grabbing Life is Full of Possibilities (sans instrumentals) rather than a more streamlined Give Up.
Having "Maybe we'll eat pasta" sung in the morose opening number (again about concerning oneself with self-sustaining daily activities while war is being waged elsewhere) works conceptually, but in a more workman-like context works against the endearment of the number. In other words, I'd feel like a dip singing along with this and several other sad melody/muted sentiment lines. As charmingly piqued as Lambert's vocal delivery can be, sometimes you just wish the guy would strike out a little bit. Whether that means going weirder or using some choruses (like in the Big Head Todd cover "Dinner With Ivan"), it wouldn't hurt in making what happens to be a solidly enjoyable record into an exceptional and perhaps even awe-inspiring one. Instrumentally, this album shows a striking avant-electro mastery. Vocally, the album frequently just sounds too familiar to do its musical ideas justice.
1. Tuesday
2. Fairgrounds
3. Hot Commods
4. Status Hounds
5. Typhoon
6. War Talk
7. Dinner With Ivan
8. Fresh Boys
9. Molly
10. Hollis (Hope To Come Back)
More about: Roommate
