Roadside Monument

Item: I Am The Day Of Current Taste
Author: Doug Van Pelt

I Am The Day Of Current Taste

(1998)

Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsHM Magazine #74November 1998

emo indie rock math rock post-hardcore

The great Roadside Monument is now the late Roadside Monument. It's a shame that this creative faucet was turned off, as it innovated and inspired many. Like its predecessor, Eight Hours Away From Being A Man, this album mixes melody and chaos in a way that keeps you off balance, but not enough to deter you from the emotional trip they seem to be taking you on. Imagine a jazz band being told to play Bauhaus numbers with only drums, bass, and two guitars, only never singing in falsetto. Much like Post Modernism turned the art world back into black and white, this brand of eccentric music is taking hardcore and forcing it to sound almost industrial without the loops. Some say that when hardcore bands get bored they either go emo or lo-fi college rock. Roadside kinda takes the two into consideration and then applies its own slant. A tune like the deftly-titled "OJ Simpson House Auction" shows the band singing about the prettiest pop song they know how, with vocals that sing a mid-tempo ballad a la Joe Christmas, accompanied by a lead guitar that won't quit trying to dance. In the tune probably most likely to be dedicated to donut shops, "Cops Are My Best Customers," the first half of the song whispers along with almost a Starflyer feel, before the band goes on an instrumental journey that would challenge many a musician. In a much healthier trend than suicide or death, the band has probably succeeded in increasing its popularity by being one of the all too many bands that have made the decision to break up this Summer. I'll count myself in as one of the late-bloomer fans. What was I thinking when I still had a few chances to see these guys live more often?