Wednesday 19 April 2017

Album of the Month: RO GANG - H.E.R.

RO GANG H.E.R.




Info: RO GANG (formerly Mr. Rosso) are a two piece recording project, turned full band set up, hailing from Dublin South-side suburbs - creating rambunctious lo-fi jams for all the family. Since the release of 2014's debut release 'Doom On Denton' the duo comprising of Isaac Clarke and Henry Ernest (aka Dr. Duloc) have gone from strength to strength, with a cult-esque following and gigs turning into riotous affairs. 

'H.E.R.' is informed by everything from Young Thug style trap production to Burt Bacharach's musical sensibilities. Cuttingly self-aware and uncomfortably hip. 

We are truly over-joyed to have RO GANG's new album, H.E.R., as our inaugural Album of the Month here on Remy. Formerly the aforementioned cult and insouciant borderline underground hitmen Mr. Rosso, Clarke and Earnest recall a pair of vibrantly nonchalant Professor. Weeto's laughing manically in the music lab at how easy it is to create dope songs that the masses can lap up.

H.E.R. is, well it's just as glorious as you'd expect from the duo had you heard their previous outputs, a ridiculous whirlpool of DIY that doesn't sound DIY at all, I'm blown apart inside by second track 'Love Me', listen to that rambling bass-line and squeaking electric guitar riff, the lo-fi buzz of the vocals, and then the masterful introduction of 90's idiot-rap at the 2:40 mark, powerhouse genius.

RO GANG - Smoking

'Oisin Goes To The Dogs Alone' is the definition of wonky, a completely mundane piece of conversational hearsay turned into a vividly droll tale of modern Dickensian despair. 'Best Friend' is a must listen on the album, is this an Irish Beastie Boys funk jam with added Badly Drawn Boy and a blast of heyday Republic of Loose, damn those boys can rap.

On 'Punk Rockers' the duo bring hip-hop satire to another level, the lyrics may as well read 'we can rap any words we want and you aren't even listening because, the music'. But we can't denigrate the comical beauty of the actual rhymes; 'I'm coming up like a new erection, going back in time like a Two Direction (sic, for me)...a RO GANG for the new election, I'm a no gang like a gang of boys, I put away my corduroy and bought myself a new toy, it's a little thing called credibility, you think I'm funny, I'll use you up like a Duracell'.

Another piece of high-grade beauty arrives on 'Boys Club', probably what you'd end up with if Mac DeMarco and Eels decided to do a collab together following a bag of skank after listening to the Mr. Rosso / RO GANG back / nu catalogue. 'Your lips when they kiss are like a gyrating bliss' sneaky. The album pulls the curtain down with the intention of being calm and failing via 'World Star', filtering jangle-pop through a sonic flux capacitor, screeching vox and wild guitar solos crash to a stop, pause, Hank Williams in mono singin' through an empty silver bean can, amateur back-garden shed math-rock, FIN. 

RO GANG are wild-southside cowboys, riding roughshod over everything you think you know or feel about music, and H.E.R. is about as inventive as it can get.


Like & Listen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rossorocks/

Bandcamp: https://littlelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/h-e-r