{"id":4407,"date":"2015-11-07T00:09:36","date_gmt":"2015-11-07T00:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/?p=4407"},"modified":"2015-11-07T00:56:31","modified_gmt":"2015-11-07T00:56:31","slug":"review-rome-burns-latest-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/review-rome-burns-latest-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Review – Rome Will Burn’s Latest EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review – Rome Will Burn\u2019s Latest EP
\nBy Brett Stewart\"Lrg-2<\/a><\/p>\n

In this review, I\u2019m delving into a rather compelling outfit, Rome Will Burn. The dynamic duo\u2019s self-titled EP dropped last month in an effort to redefine electronic pop with intriguing new musical notions and themes. Do the eclectic performers do an apt job flipping a genre around? Well, surprisingly, yes, they do. Let\u2019s dig into \u2018Rome Will Burn.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Chameleon,\u2019 the opening of the EP, also acts as the definitive \u2018single\u2019 highlight of the collection. This dance-infused piece is remarkably well produced. It\u2019s worth noting that when I review a piece, I actually go to the studio and queue the material up on monitors; I\u2019m not sipping a coffee at Starbucks with Apple earbuds in. I mention that because Rome Will Burn is an absolute treat on a quality sound system. The incredible production of \u2018Chameleon\u2019 takes danceable pop to an entirely new level, utilizing immensely fascinating vocal layering, harmonies, string sections, and tight, superb beats.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Suede and Manifesto, the moniker of Carlton Moody, make up Rome Will Burn with a partnership that was, as Suede says, \u2018written in the stars.\u2019 Suede\u2019s vocal presence on the EP is authoritatively beautiful. She commands listener attention, accented wonderfully by an experimental soundscape. The ballad \u2018These Three Words\u2019 exhibits the duo as masterful interpreters of familiar content. There isn\u2019t anything new about the subject matter of the song; it\u2019s even a bit stereotypical. The way the two tackle it, however, breathes fresh energy into what would otherwise be a forgettable ballad.<\/p>\n

As I briefly touched on, Rome Will Burn does a pretty solid job of effectively redesigning the pop electronic dance landscape. The classical influence is definitely a huge part of that – there are some string sections in this pieces that stand out because they aren\u2019t synthesized. Some modern acts feel too comfortable to take on string sections from behind a Korg keyboard. The authenticity of the strings on Rome Will Burn is noticeably agreeable with their persona. \u2018Waging Romance\u2019 has nuances of that throughout, a song that actually takes those romantic tropes and revitalizes them further.<\/p>\n

In addition to some classical vibes and heavy electronic pop influence, there are tinges of house and dub throughout \u2018Rome Will Burn,\u2019 though not to a significant extent. The duo\u2019s wall of sound seems to explode, or rather, \u2018drop\u2019 at certain times. \u2018Live By The Beat,\u2019 a wholehearted dance tune if there ever was one, definitely embraces that on the latter half of the track. For what it endeavors to do, \u2018Live By The Beat\u2019 succeeds through every avenue.<\/p>\n

The EP technically ends with \u2018Body Language,\u2019 one of the more complex pieces of the collection. The instrumentation is some of the best, utilizing some innovative production techniques and musical styles akin to funk. Actually, I\u2019d argue it\u2019s the epitome of a modern funk track since it incorporates so many contemporary pop and electronic styles so effectively. The final piece of the effort is \u2018Chameleon,\u2019 a clean version of the already-stellar track.<\/p>\n

Check out \u2018Rome Will Burn.\u2019 They\u2019re great and are actually reworking their niche in a way that feels effective and consistently compelling. It\u2019s fun music with a surprising amount of depth, especially instrumentally. It\u2019s some of the best indie pop music of 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review – Rome Will Burn\u2019s Latest EP By Brett Stewart In this review, I\u2019m delving into a rather compelling outfit, Rome Will Burn. The dynamic duo\u2019s self-titled EP dropped last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,41],"tags":[222],"class_list":["post-4407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-and-entertainment","category-entertainment","tag-rome-will-burn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4407"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4410,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4407\/revisions\/4410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}