Rooftops

Hidden away and hard at work in Bayside Studio, Rooftops has been writing and recording A Forest of Polarity since January of this year. And now finally, after slaving away for hours in the studio, they feel comfort in knowing that the album is every bit as good as it should be.

The band has already established itself as a musical powerhouse in Bellingham. Their live shows have left lasting impressions on locals with a barrage of complex math rock melodies, accomplished by three amazing guitarists and a drummer that keeps everything together. They caught the eye of Clickpop’s Paul Turpin who decided to take them under his wing in early 2008 and produce their first record.

A Forest of Polarity is an entirely different experience than attending a Rooftops show. They decided to go “in a more melodic direction,” drawing from a broader range of influences. “We blended a little bit of everything we listen to,” says guitarist Jonathan McIntyre. “I think the goal of a musician is not to sound too much like one thing.” That’s why they brought in some of the local talent to add their creative touches to the record. Sarah Jerns (Pan Pan, The Love Lights) played trumpet and flugelhorn on a couple tracks, as did Kat Bula (Thimble Vs. Needle) on violin/viola and Dylan Rieck (The Crying Shame) on cello. There is also added percussion, bass, and keyboards; even a music box. “My favorite parts of the record are the parts none of us played,” guitarist Drew Fitchette admit. “It’s much more fun to hear things that I haven’t heard a million times. It freshened everything up.”

Thematically, the album arches over an assemblage of elaborate guitar melodies and flows down into a wide range of aural expressions; math and post rock, sparse vocals and layers upon layers of instrumentation. Paul Turpin calls it “a math rock symphony.” Over the course of the record it slowly becomes a more complete picture, and by the end it has morphed into something different than what came before. “The first song on the album and the last song are two very different animals,” Fitchette states.

A Forest of Polarity is an expression of what the band is truly capable of, something that can’t be fully demonstrated by a live show. “We got to balance our sound which is hard to do live without really expensive equipment,” explains McIntyre.

The band tried to pick apart their songwriting and create something more well-rounded. “I feel like we’ve still encompassed the technicality and complexity that keeps things interesting to play, but focused more on the emotive and melodic aspects of our writing,” drummer Wendelin Wohlgemuth says.

Each band member brought their own talents to the table, blossoming into what became an album that even the most critical of ears can appreciate. It’s Rooftops’ attention to detail and creative unity that makes it stand out. They fed off and inspired one another., “We build off each other, and we all seem to have amazingly similar ears for what is melodically and rhythmically appealing,” Wohlgemuth says.

From a technical standpoint, Turpin appreciated their patience. “You want to make sure (the songs) each reach their potential. I think the guys got that right.” Although the album’s slow formation was mostly due to the members being “ridiculously critical and picky” says guitarist Mark Detrick, and that they “took way too long mixing and re-doing things,” it certainly paid off.

Rooftops wants What’s Up! readers to know that they kept all of you in mind when recording this album. “We aren’t really shooting for a certain demographic,” says McIntyre, to which Detrick elaborates, “People who are into tech, mathy stuff will like it as well as people who like classical music, or even people who like pop music.” All the band wants is to make something people can sit back and enjoy; “to make it accessible but also really interesting,” as McIntyre puts it.

The members of Rooftops don’t take themselves too seriously. A few times during this interview Drew Fitchette interjected, completely deadpan, “locally-grown, organic sustainability” to questions like, “who are you playing with next” or “who played on the album.” They also say their track-listing is a puzzle. The puzzle is that every track is spelled out with the same letters as a certain phrase, which I still haven’t figured out. I’ll give you a dollar if you do.

A Forest of Polarity is available on iTunes as well as at Everyday Music and Avalon on Nov. 17. The CD release shows are on Friday, Nov. 20th at the Rogue Hero and Sunday, Nov. 22 at Everyday Music. - Haylee Nighbert - What's Up! Magazine

On November 17th, Bellingham will see the release of Rooftops’ debut album A Forest of Polarity. The record begins with guitar and percussion rewinding in a beautiful, kaleidoscopic sound collage before the listener is assaulted with air-tight drum hits and frenetic guitar tapping. The gravity eventually gives in to harmonious pop guitar interplay, while the drums go back and forth between hypnotic dirges and head-nodding grooves. All this in the first three tracks.

Rooftops has been making waves in Bellingham since spring 2007. The original lineup was comprised of Mark Detrick and Drew Fitchette on guitar, along with Wendelin Wohlgemuth on drums. They quickly garnered attention around town with their signature take on math rock, a subgenre of rock ’n’ roll that incorporates elements of jazz and classical music while relying heavily on time signature changes.

Virtuosic musicianship aside, they also display a trained ear for melody that makes their music instantly enjoyable. Remaining a largely instrumental band was not necessarily the original plan, and in 2008 local songwriter Jonathon McIntyre joined the group. McIntyre has collaborated with Detrick in various groups for nearly 10 years, and he jumped at the chance to join Rooftops.

“They told me it was because they wanted to make their sound more accessible, but I just wanted to play with them,” McIntyre says.

It soon became evident the addition was an inpsired choice. McIntyre added sparse vocal arrangements and a third guitar, which round out the band’s current configuration.

Anyone who has seen Rooftops live can attest to the musical prowess this band contains; Detrick, Fitchette, and McIntyre exchange intricate guitar lines to an almost disorienting effect, while Wohlgemuth utilizes both standard 4/4 pop beats and complex polyrhythms. Their live show is a fascinating spectacle, as all four members play multifaceted parts that require the human ear to kick into overdrive.

But Rooftops as a live entity and a studio entity are two very different things. “A big difference is the energy of the live show being much higher while the album is much more textured and layered,” says Fitchette.

This brings us back to the album, A Forest of Polarity. Their debut record contains an impressive talent for composition and production, with musicians Kat Bula, Sarah Jerns, and Dylan Rieck contributing string and horn overdubs. “Strings, bass, horns and percussion really add expression and fullness that doesn’t come through live,” Wolhgemuth says.
Working with Clickpop Records’ Paul Turpin at Bayside Recording, the band often remained in the studio for five to six hours a day to make sure the mix and production were just right.

“We are really happy with the way [the album] progresses,” Detrick says. “It starts out with a certain kind of frenetic energy and gradually becomes more coherent, incorporating the auxiliary instrumentation and more drawn-out melodies.” The record is deliberately sequenced and arranged to create a singular listening experience that is both challenging and accessible. Focusing on individual tracks becomes obsolete, as various compositions and melodies rise and then disappear, only to resurface again in unexpected places.

Rooftops will play two CD release shows, the first, Fri., Nov. 20 at the Rogue Hero, will showcase all of the musicians who played on A Forest of Polarity. This will be followed by another, all-ages release show Sun., Nov. 22 at Everyday Music. These shows will be the perfect chance to see the band at the height of their powers. - Nick Dillon - Cascadia Weekly

One of my favorite music scenes – practically a genre unto itself – is what the Kinsella brothers and their associates were doing in Chicago about a decade ago. American Football, Owls, Ghosts and Vodka: They had their own unique sound that’s never really been duplicated. It’s fitting that a week after doing an interview with Mike Kinsella and asking him about his old bands that I should finally see a new band that has managed to brilliantly recreate that forgotten sound. It’s easy enough to tell from the songs Rooftops posted on their Myspace that they count those Chicago groups among their top influences, but since those recordings they’ve added a third guitarist, a low-end rhythm guitarist, moving them away from just a trebly tap-fest and more towards sonically balanced songwriting. The result is something I couldn’t want more: Their set last night at the Blue Moon was like a time machine to a music scene I was too young to see or appreciate when it was actually around. Here were four dudes with the skills and sensibilities to legitimately follow in the vein of American Football. Like I mentioned in my preview of this show yesterday, I’d seen members of Rooftops in previous Bellingham bands over the years, but I’ve never been so thoroughly impressed by them as I was last night. The set didn’t go without its share of snags (apparently when you’re really good at playing guitar it goes massively out of tune by the end of every song and requires extensive knob-twiddling), but Rooftops are still a very young band. Two of the band members are actually young: Guitarist Drew Fitchette is only 18 and drummer Wendelin Wohlgemuth is 20 (he was in another solid Seattle group, In Praise of Folly). Rooftops rest squarely on the right side of being influenced by a scene without ripping it off, of carrying on a forgotten sound without marring its memory. I can’t wait until they have a proper recording. - Jeff Kirby - The Stranger

Bellingham needs the existence of a band like Rooftops. We have our fare share of garage rock, metal, and jam/funk groups, but just the idea alone of a band that is willing to utilize their extraordinary musical capabilities, as well as experiment, is integral in keeping our music scene fresh, lively, and intelligent. Their set, right from the quick blast that was the opening song to their 10-minute closer, was fantastic and full of energy.

The three guitar assault of Johnny McIntyre, Drew Fitchette, and Mark Detrick is an incredible display to watch, with amazingly syncopated rhythms and riffs interweaving in and out of each other. The effect is almost dizzying. While this is happening drummer Wendelin Wohlgemuth attacks his kit, alternating between intricate time signatures and complex polyrhythms. Their music is not just for musicians though, and they maintained a poppy and accessible sound throughout the show, forgoing much of the math rock noodling you see with other bands.

All in all, the night was a fantastic display of local talent and musicianship, and most of the bar patrons left salivating for Rooftops’ debut album. - What's Up! Magazine

Comprising three guitars and drums, this self-described "indie-post-math-rock" band from Bellingham, WA, debuts with a riffy, mainly instrumental album that's both highly listenable and well-played. - Electronic Musician

“Opening are the Bellingham band Rooftops, who’s guitarist Mark Detrick blew my mind repeatedly during my college years up north in the bands Lands Farther East and Treasures. Rooftops play precise, melodic math rock in the vein of old Don Cab, Owls, and Maps and Atlases, and are certain to remind you several times during their set that you will never be able to play guitar like them.” – Jeff Kirby - The Stranger

“I haven’t seen a trio of guitarists play like that before, creating melodies with single notes instead of lots of chords. There’s nothing original in rock music anymore, so I’m sure someone out there is doing something similar, but they were unique to me.” - Bell-Tone Records Blog

The music of Rooftops comes to us from Bellingham, WA and is a keen example
of wound-up, mathy post-rock. “Robuts” and “Untitled” highlight two
intertwining guitar lines filled with elements of jazz guitar as well as the
aforementioned math-rock sensibilities, all while a very meticulous drummer
moves things along with intense energy. Personally, I would quite like to
hear a bassist join the band, if only to provide the low end to balance out
the often very trebly (yet enjoyable) guitar noodling.
- Dryvetyme Onlyne

“An album that is sub tle, rich and warm. With out being too elab o rate and com­pli cated, A For est … knows how to deliver a pro duc tion that enhances the purity of music before the instru men tal vir tu os ity to give us an album 100% organic.” — OCESA, Dec. 2009 * Mex ico City, Mexico - OCESA - Mexico City, Mexico

These four gentlemen have crafted a stirring debut full-length that is brimming with the sort of heady, rich, dense mathy textures that make me want to reach for my old music theory textbooks and then pogo about my living room in giddy glee.

The bustling, bubbling lead lines are packed with life, action, and energy, as if the three guitars are embroiled in a conversation about funk grooves. It doesn’t hurt that the drumming of Wendelin Wohlgemuth is passionate and driving, yet tight and crisp. The band’s material, led by the cuts “Raft Easily,” “Tear As I Fly,” and “Leafy Stair,” are technical without being nerdy, pretty without being preening, and rocking without being snotty. In short, these ten songs bridge the gap between math, post-, and prog rock by employing a bright pop undercurrent that removes nearly all traces of theatrical bombast that might have infiltrated.

A Forest Of Polarity is a rather strong record, in that it’s kinetic, catchy, and direct (and the nerd in me loves the fact that the song titles are anagrams of each other). This isn’t some collection of weird, over-long jams where three guitar players and their drummer riff forever on some wacky journey across various modes and time signatures. The band eschews such nonsense by displaying some cogent pop/rock sensibilities in its part-writing and construction. It isn’t until the last three tracks that songs reach beyond the relative four-minute mark into traditional post-rock territory, and even then, the music steers quite wide of monotonous anthems and provides ample variation in how the group showcases its skill-sets.

I’ll put it to you this way: when my fiancé (whose only experience with math rock is Minus The Bear) enters our living room and declares, “I really like this music,” you know that Rooftops has made a winner of an album. - www.dryvetymeonlyne.com