Rooftop Society

Britney Spears, Toby Keith, Kenny G. These are a few things you won't find in 106 Days, by The Rooftop Society. What you will find is great rock 'n' roll musicianship, which blends the varied styles of every successful hard rock band with their own creative sound. Only together for two-and-a-half years, the members of the Rooftop Society sound as tight as bands that have played together for decades.

106 Days is produced by the band, but they left little room for improvement by a professional. Mastered by John Baldwin, the performance is very clean, with all instruments lining up, even though the band rarely sticks to 4/4 time. They successfully syncopate all over the place, and play the hits as one unit. Besides rhythmic flavor, 106 Days employs several different timbres, with anything from acoustic guitar and different distortions to cello and typewriter.

That's right - I said "typewriter." It's an interesting effect, but only when used sparingly, which they did, limiting it to the third track, "Tires on Fire," and the tenth, "Walking Dead."

The Rooftop Society writes good intros, with slow, ambient, mood-setting sounds that move smoothly into the meat of the song. The first track "JRS" has a nice mood-setting intro, but then the band jams on one chord for a little too long. The lyrics are not quite as good as the rest of the music of "JRS." The repetition of "-ologies" like psychology and technology doesn't merit choruses. From the bridge to the end of the song, however, it is a very cool, driving rock song.

106 Days follows "JRS" with a song called "Arboreal." "Arboreal" is held together by some fine percussion work that falls out on a few downbeats and accents the weak beats. "Tires of Fire" opens with lyricist Jonathan Harrison on typewriter, backed by running water and other environmental sounds. Then, the bass and drums set up a slow, "Machines of Loving Grace"-esque groove. The guitar takes on a mainly background role, striking a little distorted harmony on every downbeat.

"Eye for an Eye" contains elements of Alice in Chains, Staind, Static-X and Dream Theater. A very strong song, "Eye for an Eye," changes tempo, texture and rhythm as often as every measure. The changes are often, but coherent and don't take away from the flow. "Over-the-Counter" is reminiscent of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," with its tribal groove in the rhythm section over some high, squealing guitar work. "Before They Know Who You Are" brings back the typewriter, with a slow jazzy groove. The tempo is so slow it feels as if it's going to fall off into silence, but the rhythm keeps going.

106 Days is a well-crafted album created by a band that knows how to keep the listeners' attention. Some bands do it by excessive volume or dissonance, while some do it by poppy, easy to sing lyrics. Rooftop Society does it by sheer musicality. From song to song, section to section and measure to measure, Rooftop Society changes up the sound of 106 Days constantly. But, they do it in an intelligent and coherent manner. For that, I recommend this album to anyone who appreciates music. - MTSU Sidelines

Rooftop Society- 106 Days

This cd by Rooftop Society was put together really well. The cd offers 11 great songs, that proves that Rooftop Society is the real deal from the Boro! Rooftop Society will be a band that you will need to really watch out for, for the many years to come! Congrats to Rooftop Society and Thanks for a Excellent CD!

*XNROCK.COM SAYS," Rooftop Society is the best band in the Boro right now, and for many years to come."

Songs:
JRS- 90/100
Arboreal- 93/100
Tires on Fire- 85/100
Eye for an Eye- 90/100
The 3rd- 89/100
Mabon- 82100
Traffic- 85/100
Over-The-Counter-80/100
Before They Know Who You Are-82/100
Walking Dead- 88/100
Piper-86/100

Overall:

86 - B - xnrock.com

This heavy-hitting album is what rock and roll should be about. Hard, pulsing and almost barbaric, this album shakes you like a british nanny. The opening track "JRS" leads with the extraordinary showmanship of each of Rooftop Society's members. Guitars thunk and squeal to the mad thrashings of bass and drum, climaxing in a primal howl that makes you instantly satisfied. This kind of hard-hitting work continues on through incredible tracks like "The 3rd" and "Traffic", all the way down to the chilling conclusion of "Piper". "Piper" makes this album for me. I'd be willing to pay the full price of this album for that track alone. The insert of Harrison's writing make for a terrific addition to the ambiance that Rooftop has created. These guys are mindbendingly talented, and this album is worth more than just one look. Keep an eye on these guys- this is where metal should be. - cdbaby.com