Songs the Animals Taught Us

With Songs the Animals Taught Us, Roommate brings us a new voice that is very much of its time yet somehow timeless in its appeal. He does not take the easy route of cynicism, instead choosing a more complicated perspective on the wonders, horrors, and contradictions of our culture. A sense of optimism pervades Songs the Animal Taught Us, even at its darkest, and this seems to communicate the larger message of Roommate: Even in the depths of despair, there is always hope.

Roommate's production draws on an eclectic array of influences, both past and present: The jarring dissonance of Xiu Xiu and Scott Walker, the down-home instrumentation of Neil Young and The Band, the electronic flourishes of Dntel and M83, the ethereal beauty of My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins- all are adopted by Roommate and refracted through his own distinctive lens.