Review
Ninja Gun
Roman Nose

Sabot Productions (2011) Loren

Ninja Gun – Roman Nose cover artwork
Ninja Gun – Roman Nose — Sabot Productions, 2011

Ninja Gun draws from a lot of sources, playing in the Suburban Home-style market of alt country derived from obtuse punk influences. They tend to eschew chord progressions in favor of soft music and easy articulation built from the steady, honest delivery of their frontman Johnathan Coody. Roman Nose is their latest EP, this one coming from Sabot Productions.

Ninja Gun’s style is mellow and maybe a little coy. The band draws from country, but their delivery and dominant sound are more steeped in power pop, with the country influence honing the lyrical tone and the somber, reflective atmosphere while the music is more ethereal with a touch of Southern eeriness at its backdrop. Coody keeps the mood steady, never bursting into angry aggression or sorrowful misery, but walking a calm line down the middle. If there is a fault, it’s that Coody’s delivery is so even keel that it can lull the listener at times, without the dynamics to push forth a more positive energy. For a band with two guitars, this record is surprisingly calm throughout. The music is collected, with layered acoustic guitars and careful arrangements that maintain an emotional gray area. “That’s Not What I Heard” utilizes a first person perspective with soothing background vocals, but the even keel nature distances the first-person perspective and the focus remains on the feel rather than the lyrics. It’s got a repetitive, singalong structure combined with a country lament, and the balance falls right in the middle between the two styles. In its follow-up, “Hot Rain,” Coody drawls a little louder, dropping his pitch to a more forceful delivery to carry over the louder guitars and drums, utilizing a ‘70s rock structure that builds to a climax in just over three minutes. Despite the big ‘70s rock influence, the song never fully rocks out, instead keeping its austere manner.

On Side B, Coody’s vocals remain at the forefront. This time, there’s a power pop feel with big guitar crunch at the chorus, but emotive heart-on-sleeve crooning on the verse levels. The middle two songs offer the most sonic variance, but the titular “Roman Nose,” is the most memorable track on the EP, and it hints that Ninja Gun’s next full-length will be wide-reaching in its scope. It takes a Southern gothic guitar and a sorrowful tone that relies on descriptive imagery to leave on something of a depressing note.

Ninja Gun hail from rural Georgia and they embrace their roots, drawing from an isolated, open setting and incorporating that into their sound, and utilizing descriptive imagery to establish such a tone. It should appeal to fans of power pop and alt country equally.

This is music for a slower pace, sitting on the porch at sunset, playing this soundtrack just over the chirping of the crickets as opposed to blaring over headphones on a loud city bus.

6.4 / 10Loren • May 23, 2011

Ninja Gun – Roman Nose cover artwork
Ninja Gun – Roman Nose — Sabot Productions, 2011

Related news

Ninja Gun Release New Video

Posted in Videos on April 20, 2011

Ninja Gun Offer New EP For Free

Posted in Records on April 12, 2011

Ninja Gun Release Two Singles

Posted in Bands on April 6, 2011

Recently-posted album reviews

Middle-Aged Queers

Theatre of Shame
Engineer Records, Sell The Heart Records (2025)

Theatre Of Shame is the third LP from Bay Area band Middle-Aged Queers, a band whose moniker definitely gives away the plot. The band celebrates community with party punk songs like "Glizzies Banging" and "Pajama Party," but it also has pointed political commentary about the dangers of a bigoted society. In equal parts, Theatre Of Shame is about celebration and … Read more

Sleep Pod Two

Rehearse Your Future
Mindpower Records (2025)

You can always tell when a band contains seasoned musicians. They give off a different aura through their music and it sounds complete. It just meshes better. The songwriting is well done, the vocal melodies are catchy, and the transitions from verses, choruses, and bridges are complex but accessible. That is the case with this band. Let me introduce you … Read more

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die

Dreams of Being Dust
Epitaph (2025)

I’m instantly drawn to bands that have intriguing or long names. Without even listening to the first note of the band, I know it’s going to be pushing the boundaries of normalcy in music. Which is why it should be no surprise that TWIABP, in certain spots through this album, remind me of the band ...And You Will Know Us … Read more