Ropsten
Eerie

LA RECENSIONE

Ropsten – Eerie – (Seahorse Recordings – dist Audioglobe)

The fascination of Italian bands with Northern Europe is quite widespread, and this group from the province has chosen to adopt a Swedish word as their name, which for those familiar with Stockholm, is also the name of a subway station. They are not the first in history, as even the name Hüsker Dü has Nordic roots and was the name of a board game.

However, the name should not be misleading; you won’t find Norwegian black metal or glacial electronic atmospheres, arpeggiators like The Knife, or similar things. The band's influences stop further south, and the term Krautrock would not be out of place to describe the sound of this band, even though the influences are manifold and not necessarily retro.

I would avoid the term post-rock because Ropsten seems to know where they are going, and in their compositions, impactful themes and riffs dominate, nothing is left to chance, including repetition, a distinctive element, while psychedelia instead emerges in several episodes, such as "Grandma’s Computer Games."

However, the Treviso-based group does not have a nostalgic attitude and also shows a certain studio experience, after two EPs released, one of which for the Canadian Dwyer Records, and several concerts, even opening for names like Blonde Redhead.

"Globophobia" is impactful, with a driving rhythm, equally compelling guitars, and there’s something from the lesson of bands like Neu! and Can, but there are also personal choices that we find in few records of the genre.

The use of synths is commendable, but especially the role played by the guitars, which launch themes that would fit well in a soundtrack, and "Globophobia" is an example, with its oriental-esque twist, inspired by Turkish or Balkan music.

"Kraut Parade" is what the title suggests, although labeling the band only in these terms could be reductive, and distortions are typical even of the music that, in the following decades, was influenced precisely by this, from Sonic Youth onwards.

An album that is confirmed to be of international level, for all lovers of the genre, for those who have no problems listening to entirely instrumental works where repetition is a key element; indeed, compared to many of these projects, "Eerie" is surprising for the variety of solutions adopted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC2M0C74LxQ