Posted on: March 19, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Innovation in the music industry is rare. Bands may be able to change up the overall rock, pop, punk, or other archetype slightly, but few bands can honestly change the dominant paradigm.
Rooftop Runners do that, even down to what cutting an EP means. Typically, bands create an EP when they only have a few worthwhile songs. Rooftop Runners make each track count, ensuring that listeners will be eagerly anticipating the date when the band can cut an LP. The trippy, electronic-infused alt-rock of bands like Massive Attack, Portishead, and “OK Computer”-era Radiohead is given a darker, more brooding atmosphere. By adding more of the human element to tracks like Bang Bang, Rooftop Runners have made a dead genre burst back to life.

Energize continues this trend by shining a light on the human / electronic dichotomy. The interplay between these elements means that the track ebbs and flows, a musical version of the Manichean philosophy. The band may claim Berlin as an adoptive home, but to place them alongside the current crop of German exports (Metropolis Records bands, for example) is to do them a disservice. This is because a track like Energize speaks more to what was originally laid down by Klaus Schulze, Kraftwerk, and Can.

For those that simply cannot wait until the band cuts more material, check out the El. Train NDOTH remix of Streets. With this track, Rooftop Runners shake up what a remix can do. Most remixes provide additional tracks or slight tempo and pitch shifts to the original. The El. Train NDOTH version of Streets highlights the band’s strengths while filling in empty spaces; listeners will be hard-pressed to find a section that has not benefitted from this synergy.
Pick up a copy of their EP today – their immaculate style and disregard for acclaim seeking makes this a stellar release. Check out the Streets remix for extra RTR, too.

Top Tracks: Bang Bang, Streets

Rating: 8.0/10

Rooftop Runners – We Are Here EP + “Streets” Remix (CD) / 2012 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.rooftoprunners.com

Leave a Comment