San Francisco trio Rip Room owes a bit to the Pac NW indie punk bands that blossomed in the early 1990s, like Octant and Unwound. Angular riffs run through the dour environment of constant rainfall. Ennui. Dissatisfaction. Malaise. Rip Room exhibits it, and has a terrific blast reproducing it. I betcha they’re a total hoot live.
Scrawling jagged scribbles of tonality on basalt surfaces, Rip Room deface monuments to lesser rock acts, jamming dynamite in the crevices and lighting the fuse. Also, they could probably show up on “Portlandia” as some kind of Fred and Carrie herky-jerky riff. It would be funny, but also incredibly listenable, because those guys are total pros.
Don’t let that deter you from “Monsters.” Plus, you should see this tape, completely glitterfied and a wonder to behold. If you’re keen on the artifact itself, do NOT pass “Monsters” by. Plus, it’s really catchy in an earnestly aloof way. Get me?
Rip Room
--Ryan
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