No wonder that for many bands, the second album presents a particular challenge: you might spend years tinkering with the songs for your debut, and no sooner has it been released than you’re expected to write songs for the follow-up that are at least as good within a very short space of time. This can lead to frustration, writer’s block or a whole host of half-baked tracks. The Berlin trio Roomer opted for an approach that was as unusual as it was risky to escape this dilemma on their second album, Staircase Made of Rope. Whilst the songs on their debut, Leaving It All to Chance, were fully composed and, in some cases, had long been tried and tested live, this time they went into the studio completely unprepared, jammed and saw what would happen.
Consequently, the ten new songs emerged largely from spontaneous improvisations and consist of first takes. The success of this experiment is due, in part, to the fact that Roomer’s dream pop, with its shoegaze guitars, now comes across as even more immediate and direct. There’s harmonious melodiousness that builds from shy to epic in the style of Mazzy Star, or, with ‘For Yves’, lively alternative rock; then again, Ronja Schößler’s voice is almost buried beneath a mass of distorted frequencies, much like with the Shields brothers (‘Grey’). On the other hand, it’s clear at every moment just how masterfully – and at the same time effortlessly – guitarist Luka Aron and drummer Ludwig Wandinger command their instruments. These are professionals at work, so: Don’t try this if you lack the musical expertise!
Staircase Made Of Rope
