Ropsten – Alamogordo CD (Shyrec)

Here’s the first release I picked from the batch sent out by Shyrec, a longevous Italian indie record label specializing in music genres like punk rock, post-punk, garage rock, post-rock, indie rock, and many more. Ropsten sounds familiar to me, but I am not sure if I heard them before. Their name rang the bell immediately, but I couldn’t recall if I experienced their music in the past. Luckily, Alamogordo is more than an excellent introduction to the Ropsten’s vast sonic universe built upon mesmerizing soundscapes, improvisations, and other audio delicacies. However, it’s not their only recording. Quite the contrary, this exceptional Italian group unleashed a debut album called Eerie in 2018 and a standalone single named Alamogordo this year. As you probably assumed, Alamogordo announced their second album of the same name, and it’s such a good composition worth checking out and listening to repeatedly.

Alamogordo carries eight profoundly complex compositions decorated with one-of-a-kind musicianship, tremendous ideas, and many good moments worth spinning for weeks or even months. First of all, these folks aren’t joking around with their music. Their sound burst with luxury soundscapes based upon some of the finest properties borrowed from several complementary music genres. You’ll notice crucial sonic ingredients that usually decorate some of the best post-rock, post-punk, noise rock, alternative, indie, instrumental, cinematic, and ambient works. Still, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some other elements along the way because Ropsten tends to surprise you when you least expect it. Some readers may lack vocals, but these numbers wouldn’t resonate like this with it. Bands capable of sparking the interest among the listeners like Ropsten does are rarely heard nowadays, so vocal parts could only ruin their exceptional musicianship.

Ropsten create a unique, cathartic, reverby ambiance by delving deep into the post-rock waters. Of course, the other beforementioned music genres serve as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and details that bring more definition to their compositions. These longevous numbers shine with some of the best sonic maneuvers and rhythmic acrobatics you’ll hear in a while. There are profoundly melodic themes, melodies, harmonies, arpeggiated and regular chord progressions, heavy riffs, various scales, virtuosities, and licks included, while equally complex basslines and exceptional drumming are solely responsible for their massive output. You’ll notice how these low-end tones and groovy rhythmic sequences built upon detailed beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics bring more dynamics and energy to these tracks. Alamogordo offers more than you could possibly think of at the moment, and this full-length will hold your attention from beginning to end. It’s one of the best post-rock albums you’ll hear in a while, that’s for sure. Head to Shyrec for more information about ordering this gem.