| Rodan | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Genres | Post-hardcore Math rock |
| Years active | 1992–1995 |
| Labels | Southern Records |
| Past members | |
| Jeff Mueller Jason Noble Tara Jane O'Neil Kevin Coultas Jon Cook John Weiss |
|
Rodan was an American math/post-hardcore band in the early to mid 1990s. The best known lineup of the band consisted of Jeff Mueller (guitar/vocals), Jason Noble (guitar/vocals), Tara Jane O'Neil (bass/vocals), and Kevin Coultas (drums).
Contents |
Rodan formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1992. In 1993 they recorded their Aviary demo which saw limited release. Six of the songs on the Aviary demo were re-recorded by Bob "Rusty" Weston (of Shellac fame) and released in 1994 as the album Rusty. The band makes an appearance in the 1994 cult roadmovie Half-cocked. The band also had a John Peel recording session in 1995. Rodan broke up in 1995 with the members pursuing other musical interests: O'Neil in Retsin and in various solo works; Mueller in June of 44; Coultas and Noble in Rachel's; and Coultas and O'Neil in The Sonora Pine. Mueller and Noble started Shipping News in late 1996 and continue to perform with that band today.
The music of Rodan is dynamic and complex. Its extremes are well demonstrated within the first two tracks of the group's 1994 recording Rusty. The album introduces us to the band with the rich, chiming layers of "Bible Silver Corner", a neo-Classical guitar-and-bass piece that passes through several movements, never getting loud over its near-seven-minute duration and often employing dissonance. The next track is the sharply contrasting hardcore "Shiner", a two-and-a-half minute discharge of off-kilter rhythms and spastic vocal blasts. Many musical ideas are explored in each song, sometimes serene and other times violent and tense. The vocals are unique in that they are often spoken or whispered in places, punctuated by wails and shouts in others. The three guitarists handle vocal duties, some songs being sung/spoken by one person and others being done by all three musicians.
Rodan is noted for being from the same music scene as Slint, and many comparisons have been made between the two.