Start Learning About Roman Numerals...

Being in or around Kansas City, the Roman Numerals and their debut self-titled album for Anodyne Records is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It’s to be released September 5th, however if you attended the record release party on Aug. 19th, then you probably already have this bad boy.

A little background on Roman Numerals, they are a collection of members who have been in some of KC’s finest bands over the years. Those being Shiner, Season to Risk, and Dirtnap to just name a select few. They were initially brought together when they formed as a Joy Division tribute band named Unknown Pleasures. The success from the group inspired the members to actually begin writing and recording original material, which would in turn end up being Roman Numerals.

The album is pretty much what I was hoping and expecting from the group. Unlike their days as Unknown Pleasures, this doesn’t feature the dark moodiness that comes with being a Joy Division cover band. However, they did indeed keep the overall post-punk influence attached to their music, but breathing new life into it with danceable rhythms and incredibly catchy bass lines. Don’t look to far into that though, as Roman Numerals surely aren’t some feeble stab at disco-punk or entirely rooting themselves in all things retro. No, as would be expected due to many of the members previous outfits, the Roman Numerals bring the rock, however in relatively new and fresh sounding way. Roman Numerals are the classic case of old meets new and this time the end result is something that everyone should be excited about.

Roman Numerals – My Life After Death Pt. 2 [MP3]
Roman Numerals – The Rule of V [MP3]

Be sure to pick this up whenever it is officially released on September 5th through Anodyne Records. For the time being, you can check out more on the band over at their MySpace or their official site. Enjoy!