Audiopile Review: Well timed reissue of Rodan’s lone studio album, a record that surely wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for the dust kicked up prior by fellow Kentuckians Slint, who also celebrate an anniversary this week of their debut LP. Borrowing just as much from Tweez as they would Spiderland, Rodan’s high wire act balanced between a measured, tense instrumental exactitude and hardcore adjacent rock aggression. And the connection to Slint would be even more direct, with Brian McMahan recording part of the album. The 1-2-3 punch of the A-Side is Rodan laying all their cards on the table, nodding directly to Spiderland with the twin guitar instrumental creep of album opener “Bible Silver Corner”, a track that slowly transitions from placid to foreboding before slamming right into the muscular pummel of “Shiner”, and ending the first half of the LP on the precision riffs and dissonant harmonies of the dynamic album centrepiece “The Everyday World of Bodies”, a near inverted rendition of “Goodbye, Captain”. Now an iconic piece of US style post-rock (which, we’ve taken pains to note in the past, is entirely different from the hot-wired electronic-infused sound of UK post-rock), Rusty would eventually lead to a further diffusion of the genre in the wake of the band’s demise, which occurred soon after its release. Rodan would birth the math-rock meets hardcore of Jeff Mueller’s June of 44, the atmospheric ambient-rock of Jason B. Noble’s Rachel’s, and the Appalachian chamber-rock of Tara Jane Oneil’s Sonora Pine, leaving an indelible stamp on the ‘90s American underground. Edition of 1000, pressed on champagne coloured vinyl.

Emerging from the same circle of musicians that spawned Squirrel Bait and Slint, Rodan formed in 1992 out of a failed high school rap project. Guitarists Jason Noble and Jeff Mueller enlisted Tara Jane O’Neil on bass and a couple drummers before Kevin Coultas came aboard permanently. After a couple 7”s and self-released cassettes, Quarterstick Records released the band’s first and only full-length Rusty in 1994. The band broke up at the end of the year, aiding their growing cult following.

Jason went on to form Rachel’s, Jeff started June of 44, and Tara began a solo career after recording with Retsin, and The Sonora Pine. Jason and Jeff later reunited in The Shipping News. Rodan was Quarterstick’s indie rock super group that spawned numerous other intriguing projects.