Roadside Monument

Item: Eight Hours Away From Being A Man
Author: Timothy Dean Dodson

Eight Hours Away From Being A Man

(1997)

Reviewed by Timothy Dean Dodson

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Tooth & Nail RecordsPuddlegum1998

emo indie rock math rock post-hardcore

When I first put this album in my cd player, I expected to hear the best thing ever recorded. It ended up being twice as good as I expected. Roadside Monument more than impressed me with their live tape last summer. The tape carried with it a new line-up, seven new songs, and an incredible new sound. Thus, the combination of the band's new line-up (ex-Blenderhead drummer Matt Johnson and ex-Mr. Bishop's Fist bassist Johnathon Ford along with Roadside's original Douglas Lorig) and an excellent producer (Bob Weston) could lead to nothing less than an epic album.

No instrument overpowers another throughout the entire album, they all work together, creating (in Doug's own words) "a beautiful mess." Both heavy and mellow, clean and chaotic, the album very much resembles human emotion itself. From the fast and chaotic "Sperm Ridden Burden" (a song about a single mother caring for her child alone) to the soothing sounds of the violin in the instrumental "Apartment Over the Peninsula" Eight Hours Away From Being A Man is itself an emotional rollercoaster, of sorts. Although Roadside has often been characterized as "post-punk emo" the album is incredibly diverse. The aforementioned violin as well as the majestic trumpet piece from "Iowa Backroads" add a wonderful touch. They also brilliantly use feedback to their advantage, as in "My Hands Are the Thermometers" and "Kansas City." The seven minute "Compressor District" features soft, whispering vocals aligned with a raspy, distorted voice. The song "Eight Hours Away From Being A Man" is a perfect example of the collaboration of each instrument, as is "Tired Of Living With People Who Are Tired Of Living" (which is also one of the best song titles I've ever heard). "Crop Circle" features a somewhat disturbing recording of a woman from a televangelist's show who is drowned out by the music only to return at the end of the song.

There are both intense screaming vocals, as in "Sperm Ridden Burden," and crisp, melodic vocals, as in "John Wayne Marina" and "Sunken Anchor." Most of the songs, however, feature a mixture of both heaviness and mellowness. There isn't a single boring moment on the entire album. In fact, the worst part of the whole thing is the fact that it has to end.

Fans of Roadside Monument's first album will most likely love this, and especially anyone who enjoyed the live tape. Even those who did not care for the first album should give this one a listen. It is definitely a change for the better and well worth checking out. Eight Hours Away From Being A Man is truly an epic.