Roman Numerals
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Roman Numerals

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"Here and worth hearing"

‘Roman Numerals’
For a band with no record on the shelves and no label to promote it even if it had one, the Roman Numerals have accrued
plenty of reputation and lore. Consider it all deserved. Like their alter ego, the Joy Division tribute band called Unknown
Pleasures, the Numerals come from a place in the 1980s that revered heavy dance rhythms and a thick pall of gloom.
On their debut album, which hasn’t been formally scheduled for release, the band featuring former members of Season to
Risk, Shiner, Dirtnap and others has crafted and honed 10 songs into 41 minutes of music that exerts power and force
without sacrificing melody, groove and finesse. Imagine Interpol with more brawn, flair and imagination and you have an
idea of what the Numerals accomplished (see “Occupado”).
Several other songs stand out, and not all so explicitly mine the sounds and traits of ’80s bands like Gang of Four, the
Smiths, Wire, Joy Division and the like. The feverish “Can We Trust Your Architect?” is as heavy-rock as it is post-punk;
and “Known” is a blast of anarchy that evokes ’90s industrial/math-rock as much as the decade that preceded it … But this
band’s specialty is making ’80s dance pop with a dark, heavy-rock flavor, as it does on “Mission Control,” “Rule of Five”
and that irresistible “Occupado.” Get it whenever it comes out; until then hear some of its best cuts at
www.theromannumerals .com — T.F. - Kansas City Star - Tim Finn


"Rewind"

“Several buzz bands were playing at the same time;...the
Numerals played at the very large Beaumont Club, which was a
good thing because they’d have cracked plaster and shattered
windows at a smaller joint. Their sound is a thunderous mix of
hardcore and 80s post-punk — a mutant strain of dark, heavy
rock and gothic dance music. Live, they delivered what you’d
expect from a band of guys who have playing music in various
other bands for so long: loud, lean, precise and memorable.”
— Tim Finn, The Kansas City Star; www.kansascity.com - The Kansas City Star - Tim Finn


"The Best of Kansas City Issue - 2005"

“Roman Numerals are seasoned rockers who combine to cut a
dark, dashing figure of a band. The song titles — Occupado,
Msr. Control — sound like headings in an international spy
handbook, and the jagged, driving music, quickens like the
pulse of an assassin on a suicide mission. If you haven't rushed
the stage to dance by the fifth song, then the Roman Numerals
will at least leave you breathless and sweaty by the end of
every set.”
— The Pitch Weekly; The Best of Kansas City Issue - The Pitch Weekly


"Wayward Son"

“If the Roman Numerals indicate the direction Kansas City rock
is headed at the beginning of the 21st century — and they
should, seeing as how the band’s résumé includes Season to
Risk, Dirtnap and Shiner — then we’re headed for dark,
sophisticated and eminently danceable times. Unlike the
shameless retro revivalists that are all the pop rage these days,
the Roman Numerals craft a raw but rich, disco-punk-infiltrating
sound that actually seems to have come out of London’s club
scene, circa 1978...”
— Jason Harper, The Pitch Weekly; www.pitch.com - The Pitch Weekly


"Next Saviors of Radio?"

The skies are grey. It's raining. And the amazing Roman Numerals is ready to serve you. A melancholy vibe and dreary, robotic vocals that are sometimes reminiscent of David Bowie and The Killers' Brandon Flowers makes this St. Louis, Missouri band's debut the perfect sloppy weather record. In fact, Roman Numerals is like a more indie rock version of that Las Vegas sensation, with some danceable, club ready tunage and wonderfully executed synthesizers. It's all about the rhythm section: the angular, ghostly guitars often take a back seat to the tight, hi-hat happy drums and punchy bass, which usually carries the exciting melodies this band effortlessly musters up.
Reggae tinged opener "My Life after Death Pt. I" blends into "My Life after Death Pt. II" so well that it's a textbook example of the two-part song concept. "The Rule of V" is a powerful gem that summarizes the band's sound, and "MSR. Control" is the catchiest song while "In the Snow" is the saddest. Although "Known" features a stale electronic beat and bland verses, all is forgiven when the chorus shows up. Other than that glitch, this album is captivating, eye opening, and more memorable than a lot else out there right now. Perfect sloppy weather record? Try nearly perfect record. ~ Jason Mosheim - Outburn #36


"Roman Numerals s/t"

It is an affliction that permeates from every major music scene across the mother-scratching globe. Familiarity and their close proximity to each other is the facilitator. Some escape this affliction by fleeing their home for Minneapolis, Chicago, or NYC. However, most are homebodies and never leave the city that is their home. Consequently, they fall victim to the most common ailment that befalls musicians: Musical Inbreeding. Instead of joining together with fresh musicians, the inbred form a pack of “friends” from other defunct bands to form a new band. Thus begins the endless cycle and thus ends the 1940’s propaganda tone of this review – And without a single Deliverance reference to boot.

Kansas City, Missouri’s Roman Numerals has a pedigree that’s hard to top. Roman Numerals is Steve Tulipana (Season To Risk), Shawn Sherrill (Shiner), Billy Smith and Pete LaPorte (Dirtnap). They were all seminal bands that fit into the mantra known as “Kansas City Sound.” With the parties involved you might expect an amalgamation of the three; however Roman Numerals is of a different breed. While its bio spells out a convoluted trail of bands starting at Big Black and ending with Modern English, Roman Numerals really sticks out as a band that frames of reference are difficult to find. The closest description without going in the wrong direction (Joy Division comparisons being at the top of the list) is moody, atmospheric post-punk.

On its self-titled LP, Roman Numerals, with a couple of exceptions in exceptional “Can We Trust Your Architect,” “The Rule of V,” and “Known,” keep things in mid or low-gear. The outcomes are by and large excellent. Along with Smith’s guitar work, Sherrill’s synth work gives the record that extra kick, the standout cuts can be found in “Occupado,” “MSR. Control,” ”Induce,” and “In The Show.” While dissimilar to all parties’ musical pasts, Roman Numerals should appeal to anyone familiar with those outfits or any others that sprouted in KCMO in the early to mid-‘90s. That also holds true for lovers of Joy Division or any of their current day retreads. Simply put, Roman Numerals is fantastic – even if they are inbreds – just kidding fellas. – David Lichius (2006, The Daily Copper)
- Copper Press


"Roman Numerals"

The Roman Numerals sounds like a great name for a Nuggets-vintage teen garage act, but this Kansas City neo-new wave act stops the wayback machine circa 1984, not 1965. With roots in a tongue-in-cheek Joy Division cover band called Unknown Pleasures, the Roman Numerals (featuring ex-members of Shiner, Season to Risk, and other semi-famous indie bands of the '90s) avoid monochromatic post-punk gloom in their own music. Instead, the overall feel of songs like first single "The Rule of V" has more in common with the moody but danceable synth rock of U.K. acts like the Comsat Angels and American Anglophiles like the Suburbs. Singers William Smith and Stephen Tulipana don't go so far as to affect British accents, but songs like the lugubrious two-part "My Life After Death" and the jittery "Can We Trust Your Architect?" will be instantly familiar to anyone with more than a couple of releases on the 4AD and Factory labels. by Stewart Mason
- All Music


"Roman Numerals Review"

The cover of this album does not give any good clues to what will await listeners. “My Life After Death Pt. 1” only furthers this dilemma. There is a cohesive band playing something that is rock in nature, but what really awaits listeners? The band could easily move into rock, emo, or punk; what eventually comes to light is that Roman Numerals play a very time-tested brand of pop-infused rock. This means that there are hints of early U2 and “Synchronicity”-era Police that work through “My Life After Death Pt. 1”. Something that flavors this sound even more so than these influences has to be the early-eighties work of acts like The Cure; the heavy emotional content of the tracks on this album should show that. Whiole the first part of “My Life After Death” is less than three minutes, the ability of the band is such that the song easily feels twice that.

The band can capture listeners’ attention like no one else currently on the market, and it is this ability coupled with their instrumental talent that will ultimately catapult them into the limelight. The division of “My Life After Death” into two tracks makes senses, as the second part of the song is much more upbeat and intense than the first part. While the sequenced drums of “The Rule of V” ,may seem more proper for acts like Debarge, the following angular arrangements of Roman Numerals in this track tie up this rogue sound nicely. In fact, Roman Numerals put to task acts like Franz Ferdinand; this is the real modern, post-disco dance rock that individuals should be listening to. Add an atmospheric type of synthesizers to the mix, and what one has with “The Rule of V” is something that could easily be the hit of the winter. However, it would have to fight for that tile with the following track, “Occupado”. Many of the pieces of these tracks are the same, but “Occupado” seems to be based a little more in the dance side of things than “The Rule of V”; with this track, Roman Numerals even push into the domain of acts like The Sounds.

Roman Numerals have a solid album that will resound loud in listeners’ heads long after the disc has been placed back in the slot it occupies in listeners’ collections. I can’t wait until the band is able to come up with another track.

Top Tracks: Occupado, Induce

Rating: 7.0/10 - NeuFutur


""This album simply crackles...""

Survivors of the early 90s K.C. loud music scene get all retro. Members of Season to Risk, Shiner and others play some fine stripped-down proto punk--complete with synthesizers. References to Gang of Four, Gary Numan, etc., aren't entirely out of line.

If you want to get the real flavor of the album, skip ahead a few songs. The first two are something of a concept piece, and while they're not bad, they aren't the greatest introduction to a band with this sort of musical firepower. Loud navelgazing, while sometimes interesting, isn't the way to kick off a disc.

That misstep aside, though, this album simply crackles. I always thought Season to Risk was at its best when it picked up the tempo a bit. When you're playing grungy fare, even often inspired stuff, always keep the songs moving along. Apart from the first two tracks, that's what happens here.

These guys are about my age. I've met most of the band at one time or another (never in K.C.; always in strange places like Grand Rapids), and I know these are guys who actually think about their music. I think they've finally found the mates and the sound that allows them to do just that. - Aiding & Abeting


Discography

2006 Roman Numerals S/T - street date: Sept. 5, 2006 on Anodyne Records.
2004 self-release 9 song demo
Kansas City area radio play on
KCUR 89.3 Sonic Spectrum
KBZR 96.5 Homegrown Buzz
KJHK 90.7 Local Showcase

http://www.lawrence.com/turnpike/archive/2006-02-16/

Photos

Bio

Much as sculptors start with a cold stone square and chip away everything that doesn’t resemble their intended objects, Roman Numerals began by eliminating elements. Gone were the erratic jackhammer rhythms, psychedelic sludge and haunted-factory industrial clatter that characterized its contributors’ previous projects Season to Risk, Shiner and Dirtnap. Jettisoned were the morose melodies and murky moods that marked the post-punk tribute project that brought its members together. What remains is invigoratingly unique, with ringing guitar salvos that jostle listeners like violent waves, placid keyboards that whisper like the receding tide and drums that demand a dance response without resorting to an overeager death-disco cadence.

On the Kansas City-based quartet’s debut disc, rapid-fire riffs stilt-walk over bubbling-lava basslines until they melt into the mix. Spring-loaded choruses snap with steel-trap force, and serene synthesizers function like an ice cube floating in scalding soup. Steve Tulipana’s vocals are coolly commanding but never frozen stiff. The group’s guitar shivers occasionally conjure memories of the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, but the songs’ pounding pulses place those trembling tones in a much more chaotic context.

Roman Numerals forms a sturdy bridge between indie-rock’s angular approach and the underground club scene’s throbbing tempos. This high-powered hybrid could inspire even the most jaded observers to uncross their arms. While math-rock intimidates funlovers with its off-putting inaccessibility and dance-pop repels substance-seekers with its frilly frivolity, Roman Numerals meets in the middle, crafting instrumentally interesting material with savagely catchy appeal.

Rather than resorting to retro reverence, Roman Numerals embraces creative revisionism. This is the sound of the past informed by the future, as if Big Black had visited early-‘80s era Gang of Four in a vision, or if the ghost of Fugazi had haunted Modern English. Given that these creative collaborations never occurred, this is the first time a group has blended atmospheric artiness and a prominent percussive pulse with such precision. Rather than inviting comparisons to its influences, Roman Numerals has sculpted itself into a touchstone to which tomorrow’s acts will be likened.