Review @ the WIRE magazine

Roman(US) Written by Matt Kanner
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
"The Secret Lives of Trees"
The debut release from Roman(US) represents the culmination of a musical partnership that bridges two continents and unites two ambitious artists with tight family bonds. The band consists of Seacoast resident Jose Duque and his cousin, Felix Duque, who lives across the Atlantic in Barcelona, Spain. Although they are separated by a vast ocean, their shared musical vision places them side by side on “The Secret Lives of Trees.”
Jose and Felix began playing music together while they were still in high school in their native Venezuela. After graduating, they went their separate ways, continuing to play music with various projects, but never collaborating. Only in February 2006 did the cousins decide to merge their creative impulses and make a CD together. The Wire’s RPM Challenge provided the inspiration, defying the duo to write and record an entire album in just 28 days.
The Duque clan rose to the occasion, claiming its distinction as the only band in the ’06 Challenge to record an album over the Internet while living on separate continents. Numerous bands followed their lead in 2007, when the RPM Challenge went global and drew more than 2,400 participants, 870 of whom completed CDs. Once again, Roman(US) was among those who crossed the finish line, writing ambient electronic music through the borderless channels of the Internet.
Roman(US) has combined its output from both RPM Challenges to produce “The Secret Lives of Trees,” an hour-long, 13-track CD of experimental music. Referring to themselves as J. Roman and F. Roman, the two cousins sent tracks back and forth over the Web, heightening the creative impetus that fueled their collaboration. Both musicians contributed keyboard parts, sampling and programming, while Jose added V-drums, ocean harp and air-synth, and Felix pitched in vocals.
Jose Duque is a familiar name on the Seacoast, where he has played drums with a spectrum of local artists. His Latin jazz band, Zumbatres, released its last album, “Far Away,” in fall 2006. At the time it was released, Jose said he was interested in veering toward a more techno-based, dance-oriented style of jazz. With “The Secret Lives of Trees,” it is clear that the drummer has thrust himself in that direction.
The 13 mood-driven songs on “Trees” float listeners along surreal streams and brooks of the subconscious. From the opening drizzles of keyboard notes, the album evokes an illustrative haze of introspection. Each instrumental part contributes to an enveloping resonance, and lush vocals drift through the turgid stratosphere of sound.
But extended listening gradually imbues a sense of monotony. Although the band intended the CD to induce 13 distinct and colorful moods, the overall effect is a relatively continuous mood of spellbound sedation. There are no toe-tappers to be found on the disc, and there is little variation to the brooding, electronic undercurrent. The entrancing atmosphere seems appropriate for an I-Max feature or some other artistic visual display, but it is not exceedingly danceable or audibly arousing on its own.
Nevertheless, the new disc will find an appreciative audience among listeners who enjoy ambient trance or new age music. The vocals are stirring at times, and each track is interspersed with fascinating instrumental bits. The music and lyrics are rife with spirituality, putting the listener in a dreamlike frame of mind.
The disc’s second track, “Landscapes in a Truck,” is the theme for a film of the same title, written by Felix’s brother, Andres Duque. Guest instrumentalist Russ Grazier plays saxophone on “Dressing Like a God” and “28 Days.” “Portsmouth-Barcelona” and “28 Days,” which appear as tracks nine and 10, refer to the unique manner in which the album was created.
On its MySpace account, Roman(US) cites a wide range of influences, including Bjork, Air, David Byrne, Tori Amos, Radiohead, Queen, The Beatles, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. The mix of modern and decades-old influences reflects the Duque cousins’ aspirations to grow by building on ever-evolving traditions and implementing numerous styles. The band intends to produce more music in the near future, and it will be interesting to chart its stylistic development.
“The Secret Lives of Trees” is available online at CDBaby and iTunes. For more information, visit the band’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/romanusmusic and www.virb.com/romanus
THE WIRE