A very different type of music than the normal run of the mill metal was recently sent my way. I’ve had the pleasure of listening to a band from Portland, Oregon that call themselves Rllrbll (which is short for Rollerball). They are an experimental band with a lot of keyboards, jazzy drums and lounge style bass. It’s not very often that I’ve ever pressed play and said “Hey, this band has no guitarist.” I’m pretty impressed by the sound they are capable of encompassing in this unique band completely without the guitars of mainstream expectancy.
Each song is accompanied by a soulful, ambient and piercing set of female vocals reminding me in their own way of the style used in certain songs by Tunde Adebimpe from TV On The Radio. The best way I could describe Rllrbll’s style is a fusion of a modern day version of The Doors meets Mr. Bungle trying something new. I could imagine that I would find this band’s album playing in a hookah bar or an indie corner pub. It’s a fresh mix of an old school trip and a current alternative edge, somehow simultaneously pushing genre boundaries to create their own impressive sound.
With the typical types of bands I normally listen to, I definitely see myself adding Rllrbll’s artistic album “Four Corners” to my hipster playlist.
Stevie Kopas, HMS
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