While the Mars Volta have been really busy reaching for technical levels we thought unreachable, Rumble In Rhodos strike back with second dose of refreshing down-to-earth cockiness. Originally hailing from suburban Oslo, this five-piece seem even more ambitious - without sounding wanky prog rock ambitious – on second full length Intentions. Except from the neatly mustachioed bassist Henrik Lie, and of course the almost-but-not-yet-there Bixler/Rodriguez fro of lead singer Thomas Bratlie, image building hasn’t been a priority since the rumblers played Øya Festival in 2005. By claiming that ”they don’t dress up like assholes and they don’t pose,” I guess Fader Magazine tried to show the confident rookies some respect back then.
There’s something uplifting about watching a band wearing their hearts on their sleeves like it’s the newest fashion. And when you find Bratlie yelping, cooing, and well, singing (!) with more precise aggressiveness than ever before, these eight tracks will hopefully end the discussion about whether singing is a matter of attitude or ability. Recontextualizing highlights from the highly influential San Diego post-hardcore scene of the 90s on their 2006 debut Own Me Like the City, their latest effort offers semi-epic compositions leaving more space for interweaving guitar rhythms, inventive chord progressions and broad range of moods. However a general mood is transparent through a lot of the pieces. Don’t know about you or the band for that sake, but I tend to slip into that ”if you ever again, I swear to God, I don’t even know what to say, you miserable fuck” kind of mood while listening.
Despite longer and undoubtedly more monumental tracks, Rumble In Rhodos seem to owe as much to contemporary Frenchkiss acts such as Les Savy Fav and Thunderbirds Are Now! as they do to frequently referenced influence Mars Volta. ‘Flavoured Envy’ resembles the catchiness of the debut hit single ‘Open Nerves,’ while ‘Cinematic Sweeps’ turns out to be as unpredictable as a never-on-time-kinda friend and still hooky as hell. And a monolithic track like ‘Ethical Codes’ unfolding from an almost Suicide-like opening into punchy guitar-driven cascades, sharpened by Bratlie’s attacking melodies, should please a rapidly growing bunch of suckers for post/emo-whatever.
Intentions brilliantly redefines memorable moments from the spiky debut and without sacrificing their rich and complex roots and trademark textures, Rumble In Rhodos reveal a more accessible and sophisticated take on traditional post-hardcore. No doubt these suburban kids have got their technical skills upgraded, luckily they haven’t gone totally symphonic-fusion-prog yet. I wonder why the cover art literally looks like crap, though. Seriously, is crap the new shit?
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