Album: Rusty
Label: Qauterstick Records
Release Date: April, 1994
Louisville, Kentucky provided a creative hub in the late
eighties/early nineties. The likes of Will Oldham and Slint occupied its
landscape, delivering some of the most left of centre sounds at a time when
Nirvana and college rock were gaining majority of the attention in the ‘indie’
circles.
You could almost feel the oppression seeping out of Slint’s
music. The narrative, the disjointed rhythms and overall simmering aggression that willed listeners towards every tone rendered. It wasn’t an aggression from
the stomach, though. It may’ve formed from there, but frontman Brian McMahan evidently
delivered from the heart. Look no further than ‘Washer’.
Although a little younger than the two acts mentioned above, there was another band from Louisville, Kentucky who dabbled
in the same circle. However their aggression didn’t come from the heart. It was
via a one way ticket from the depths below. That band was Rodan.
Rodan consisted of Jeff Mueller (vocals/guitar), Jason Noble
(vocals/guitar), Tara Jane O’Neil (bass/vocals) and Kevin Coultas (drums).
Although each respective band member has gone on to form various other projects
(more on that later), there’s no doubt that each member flushed out their anger
with this initial project.
Their only album, Rusty
(produced by Shellac’s Bob Weston), consists of six pieces that threaten to mess
with your internal organs. It’s a dangerous album. It's an album that has soul. In some ways you could argue
that breaking up after this album may have been to Rodan's benefit. Hard to fathom
but after listening to Rusty it’s at
least plausible. Burning out transcends above fading away so forth, so on....
Opening track, ‘Bible Silver Corner’ is straight up meandering
post-rock. If any track is out of place it’s this one, which makes it even more
noticeable considering it’s the album’s opener. ‘Shiner’ is two minutes and thirty seven
seconds of chewing up grunge and spitting it out its bones, as Mueller howls “pop pop,
down goes the enemy,” through the chorus, with blistering chords gouging
through the speakers.
‘The Everyday World of Bodies’ is the focal point of this
album. If one needed to be introduced to Rodan through one track, then ‘‘Bodies’
is the undeniable ticket. Mueller yelps alongside dissonant chords in the early stages,
with the song slowing down once Tara Jane O’Neil brings a soothing quality
with plucky guitar notes that present an instrumental splendour. The track ends in
dramatic fashion, as Mueller screams “I will be there, I will be there, I
swear.”
‘Gauge’ would probably be ‘TEWOB’ closest rival in the
stakes of awesomeness, the aggression still paramount in between the poetic
narratives that intertwine throughout this album.
‘Tooth Fairy
Retribution Manifesto’ closes the album, with Tara Jane O’Neil spitting out
dark poetic anecdotes over a murky rhythm section and distored chords.
It’s quite frankly an injustice for band this good to be
continually overlooked. There’s hardly ever a head nod in Rodan’s direction,
which again, is a travesty. They undoubtably blurred the lines with Rusty. So many bands have picked at Rodan's carcass it's not funny. Some of my favourite bands, even. The below side projects are all very admirable and
for those wondering where bands such as the ones below originate from, it may
make more sense by starting from the top. Listening to Rusty could make it all clearer.
Rodan off-shoot
projects.
Jeff Mueller: June of 44, Shipping News
Jason Noble: Rachel’s, Shipping News
Tara Jane O’Neil: Retsin, The Sonoara Pine, Tara Jane O'NeilSimon K.
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