I guess probably if you’re Ruben Romano, and you’ve done the thing since the thing started doing in bands like Fu Manchu, Nebula and The Freeks, the thought that you might make a record, send it out to a bunch of people as a gift, and have someone send back a proper mastered version might seem normal. I’m going to speculate that upwards of 99 percent of the current earth population would never experience that kind of thing — someone just being like, “oh hey, thanks for album; I finished it for you” — but maybe you and I should go make friends with Sacha Goepel, who regifted the mastered version of Romano‘s first solo LP, The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile, which ended up being released this past Friday.

Would the release have happened if not for Goepel‘s fortuitous efforts? Maybe, but probably not right now. Those familiar with The Freeks‘ psych-prone take on heavy blues will find Romano‘s own work prone to some similar meandering, but he’s not kidding with the whole ‘imaginary soundtrack’ thing here, as at least some of the instrumentalism provided — and I heard the record for the first time this morning, so bear with the accordingly superficial impression — has a score-ish feel, but Romano doesn’t quite fully take himself away from verse/chorus structures either. I’m doing a Quarterly Review at the end of the month — BECAUSE DAMN YOU I WILL OBLITERATE MY CONSCIOUSNESS UPON THIS HEAVY ROCK AND ROLL — and it’ll be in there. Might call it …Twenty Graves Per Mile though. Only so many words to fit in a review.

Here’s the story from Romano himself via the PR wire. You know that’s just my email, right? Right?

Okay. Good:

Ruben A Romano – ‘The Imaginary Soundtrack To The Imaginary Western’ Twenty Graves Per Mile’ OUT NOW on Freek Flag Records

Freek Flag Records and “Mastering Engineer” Sascha Goepel have paired up to assimilate a major Apollo 11 mission with the launching of this rocket-size full-length. Prior to its humble public release on the first Bandcamp Friday of 2024, Ruben opted for a discreet unmastered prescreening to a select few as a “Holiday Greeting Gift” and it was Sascha Goepel who returned the gift fully mastered, bringing to light the clarity of Romano’s greatest escape from LA yet. While tumbleweed stirred, Twenty Graves Per Mile crept off into wild abandonment, stretching past the first song, “Load The Wagon” and on into its reprise. Stonerocks’ magic drummer blazed his own trails through canyon country on this round coming off as a sundering soundtrack that’s been soundproofed and thoroughly examined before released to the masses on midnight.

Ruben recorded the imaginary “film score” , in and out of his home studio as well as rehearsal room in between practices with The Freeks; another band of Ruben’s who are a blast from the outer space rock past. Much of the inspiration behind Ruben’s conquest is to mesh imagery with harmony. ‘The Imaginary Soundtrack To The Imaginary Western’ is an authentic, balanced composition hinting towards Ruben’s Latin lineage and somewhere along the lines of entrancing love songs about the pioneering westward expansion, more so than a spaghetti western that critics are calling it. It is structured around the envision of a memoir set to cinematic splendor.

Freek Flag Records, which is the headquarters to Ruben Romano’s heart, has released all the “The Freeks” full-length albums digitally as well as hard copy versions of some within its house. The label is flying its freek colors once again and coming out of the closet in order to digitally release this record. Ruben Romano (who has more than completed his rock’n’rock homework) has ten solid tracks delegated for the release. Cassettes are expected to surface later through Northern Haze, while Ruben’s other side hobbies demonstrate his super-sonic-to-the-max video art directing.

This record will go down as another album notch under Ruben’s belt and discographic career. All homophonic compositions were written, recorded, and produced by the drummer turned composer. Instruments used in the recording range from guitar to synth, harmonica to drum tracks, as well as murchunga jaw harp together with minimal chorus lines, all created by a master who needs no master class let alone in any furthermore introduction.

https://www.instagram.com/rubenaromano/
https://www.facebook.com/RubenARomano
https://rubenaromano.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/_northernhaze_
https://northernhaze.bigcartel.com/

Ruben Romano, The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile (2024)

Tags: California, Freek Flag Records, Los Angeles, Northern Haze, Ruben Romano, Ruben Romano The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile, The Freeks, The Imaginary Soundtrack to the Imaginary Western Twenty Graves Per Mile

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Whathaveyou. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.