Label: Clickpop Records (CD)/Topshelf Records (LP)
Released: May 18, 2010
It's a little bit strange to put on an album by a young post-rock band and think, "This remind me of Yes!" For snobbier fans of the genre, it might be an immediate turn-off to see the comparison to the arena rocking prog dinosaur of days gone by, but fear not, because Rooftops' connection is tied to the adventurous bass lines that follow in Chris Squire's footsteps. Those lines drive the largely instrumental album, but are far from the whole picture. In a sense, A Forest of Polarity is about as apt a title as the band could have chosen, because those mathy rythms that are so striking run concurrently with indie rock that relies on quirky melodies and even dabbles in twee pop. Their forest is made up only a bit more by Fugazi or June of 44 than it is by Al Dimeola and those seemingly polar opposites make for some amazing listening. The full picture is dynamic, interesting, exciting and fresh, feeling new each time.
Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10