Roy - Big City Sin and Small Town Redemption

Roy
Big City Sin and Small Town Redemption
Fueled By Ramen
Grade: A-

After releasing their hot EP Tacomatose on Initial over the summer, Roy come back to rock you on their first full-length and first record for Fueled By Ramen. Roy comes out of the Great Northwest and is a side project of sorts for members of Botch, Harkonen and These Arms are Snakes. It seems though that this project has begun to spread to center stage for the members of Roy. While the fourteen tracks are not as tight as their latest EP, Big City still finds the four-piece rocking out to swirling and jangly song structures set in an indie rock framework. Touring with like-minded the Weakerthans certainly helped Roy focus on such constructions (see especially "Calimucho"). Lyrically, Roy always offers up interesting and compelling stories and words to describe events - sometimes serious, sometimes comical. When we interviewed Roy's Brian Cook, he commented on the band's lyrics as: "Our lyrics are basically just us talking shit. We're all hardcore kids, and that's what most hardcore lyrics are, right? All the people we normally wouldn't call out become easy targets when we get behind the microphone. To quote David Bazaan: "I could write it in a song, but never say it to your face." Lyrics are pretty important to me. Good lyrics can save pretty bad bands, and bad lyrics can ruin good ones. The vocal lines are usually the first thing I write in a song, so the lyrics are definitely a focal point early on. The first line alone can dictate the mood of an entire song. Aside from that, I really don't know."Musically, we still find Roy lifting off influences from notables such as the Pixies (see, "Better Head North"). The guitar work along with matching vocals is what burns the good songs into your memory. The tracks that excel is this respect include "Something That's Real," "Don't Overdub My Heart," "Wipe That Brow," "They Cut the Cord" and "Calimucho." The promise that Roy demonstrated on their three previous Eps comes to full fruition on their first full-length. When they are not spending their precious time with their bands, look for Roy taking over your world at a venue near you.