ROLO TOMASSI

[blind-fitter]

I don't know about anyone else, but alongside the comfortingly familiar, I also like to be presented with something a bit challenging, something that leaves me thinking "What the .... was that?"

Seen last year supporting Melt Banana, and causing jaws to drop left, right and centre, Rolo Tomassi are perhaps unlikely to appeal to the majority of Song Factors- one or two, perhaps - and are'nt going to be bagging hit singles by the truckload. Despite being mere slips of kids (to these old eyes ), Rolo Tomassi are impressive musicians, fusing elements of left-field hardcore with prog rock, even incorporating occasional brief forays into ambient-jazz noodling, to create a fearsomely confrontational racket.

See what you think:

"Oh Hello Ghost"

"I Love Turbulence"

"Scabs"

"Fofteen"

"Film Noir"

I have to say, though, their schtick works better in the context of a seamless whole.

[Farin]

well that's - for a lack of a better term - different :wacky:

personally I'm not really a fan of "screaming as lyrics" (like in 'fofteen' ), but "I love turbulence" isn't bad

PS, just from looking at the singer I surely wouldn't have expected such a vocal style

[Levis]

Ambient-post-rock-grunge?

[blind-fitter]

Grunge??? Where the heck d'you get that from?

I've heard them described as "art-metal", but that just sounds soooo unappetising and does them scant justice

"Prog-core"? Still not very satisfying.

[Farin]

on last.fm they're tagged as:

experimental,

grindcore,

cybergrind,

noisecore,

spazzcore

fun names for genres

[Levis]

Grunge??? Where the heck d'you get that from?

The last bit of the Ghost one - is all noisy and screamy and grungy.

[blind-fitter]

But "grunge" isn't a proper musical genre; it's a lazy label ascribed to a motley collection of bands with loose musical connections, defined by their geographical location at a certain point in history. It has no place in the modern world.

[Levis]

It sounds like noisier, less melodic Nirvana-esque ... sounds.

See that's a rubbish sentence!

And shoegaze, garage, post-punk and britpop are much the same, no? no? yes!

[blind-fitter]

Nope.

[Levis]

You're just saying that because you enjoy proving me wrong, you're a sadist

[Levis]

I mean Britpop come ON it's IN THE NAME!

[blind-fitter]

The four labels / genres you mentioned are all reasonably distinct from one another. Whilst some of them may have some common lineage, may even overlap, there are significant, crucial differences. Which I may explain to you at some point. But not now. And not in the middle of a Rolo Tomassi thread.

[Farin]

I agree... "genres that aren't really genres" could be the fodder for a whole thread of its own

[Levis]

Abbe no - I mean they (i.e. the genrenames) are each as lazily formulated as 'grunge'