Roman Ruins is Graham Hill, architect, landscape artist, songwriter, producer and occasional drummer for Beach House. The album, aptly titled Homebuilding, was first envisioned during a European tour in 2010 when Hill left a pregnant wife at home. Following the birth of a son, Hill continued with the songs, which became thematically focussed on the process building of a home, both literally and figuratively (remember he is an architect and a new father).
The music itself is multi-layered and very creative. This is illustrated by the opening minute or so of the album’s first track Mighty Love, which uses the sound of a person crunching over snow or gravel as percussion, before melting away into a dreamy jam complete with hazy vocals, synths, tropical drums and even rainsticks.
The 12” vinyl of the album is cut to allow continuous play of each side, allowing each song to seamlessly flow into the next. If you’re simply downloading the album in mp3 form then I strongly recommend adjusting the preferences in your player to allow gapless playback. Pay what you want for a download or buy the vinyl here or from Gold Robot Records.