Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The refusal to be placed in a particular box, as though it is the only facet of your very being, is to be congratulated, not to be labelled as difficult or demanding. Too many people find the idea of taking inspiration from a wide variety of subjects and the authority of other’s experiences to be detracting to the piece of art attempting to be constructed, that it somehow isn’t right to admire, and to want to emulate, a piece of classical country, but add in the corporeal form of hip-hop into the mix and the heart of the listener.
We are Hanging On A Wire of permanent outrage, and we find ever increasing ways of displaying that sense of being offended, without ever grasping what the artist is not only saying, but having the courage to do so, of the distinct valour that it is intended when art is authentic and unrepentant in its willingness to punch out and not be seen as a blending of lesser themes.
For Scottish duo The Romanas, Rory O’B and Rhianna McMahon, Hanging On A Wire is more than just a critique of the way we happily label and compartmentalise others to whom we nothing about, it is the joy felt in releasing a debut E.P. which has fire in its belly, and the beauty of introspection running through its veins.
The picture on the musical canvas is replete with meaning, agonisingly seductive, enamoured with sound that draws you in, but also keeps the listener irresistibly at arm’s length, and as the tracks Lose My Mind, Wild Flower, Nothing Left To Say, Rain On My Window Pane and Usually all take their turn at the tease of the combination of pop, folk, rock and hip hop dance of souls, so The Romanas come good in their search for self-expression to be taken seriously, and the refusal of being labelled in one particular manner is abundant and full of heated, justified assuredness.
More than just honourable, Hanging On A Wire reminds us we need to hold on to our self-worth and wait for that right connection, that there is no need to rush to be anything other than true to your vision; an act of purity to which The Romanas have succeeded in achieving.
The Romanas release their debut E.P. Hanging On A Wire on May 7th.
Ian D. Hall