The Slaughterhouse 5 - Alban B. Clay (2013)

Alban B. Clay (Name Dat Price)

Acey brought this group to my (and everyone else's) attention last month upon the release of their second single, Fish Pt. 2–3 (Actual Fish), which I have been abso-fucking-lutely addicted to, along with their previous single, Light Bulbs (A K.M.R.J. Cover). I have no real reference for how to describe this music, though Acey's genre-classification of "math-pop" is appropriate, and it's not like they're doing something literally indescribable or unique. But the execution is what makes this album special in a deliriously unhinged way: from its conceit as a concept album about an artist and his pretensions, to the way everything is simultaneously dirty with distortion and yet sparkly clean in harmonic precision. 

The vox (as identified in the previous post) are probably the element most enticing, with their dramatic ambitions, layered harmonies, male/female duets, and genuinely surreal lyrics about who-the-fuck-knows. But while the instrumentation is never hitting those technical highs that most folks expect from the math-tag, the songwriting and performance are top-notch through and through, with an abundance of style.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Mister Metaphor, Hawks & Oxen, Mew, and the Olivia Tremor Control.

Marylin-Rambo - Baleine à Nourrir (2012)

A promising French duo that doesn't fall into the typical pit falls of hard rock duo's. Metal, Math, Punk and good old fashioned RockNRoll blenderized for your listening pleasure.

marylin-rambo

Monsters of the Antipodes - Houses (2012)

A Progressive math rock group from Baltimore with some pretty inspired riffage. Lots of complexity here for those who crave yet a mature sense of restraint and pacing that lends itself to post-rock style and structure.

Let me say that Mr. Greg Lewis must be a busy and talented man because this is the THIRD project by him that I have been highly impressed with. The first being his atmospheric prog lite rock group as previously talked about ( dedleaves ) Certainly not to take away from the other players but the guitar playing is on center stage here. Stripped away of a lot of the pedal flim flam of dedleaves and a focus on rhythms.

This was actually a fairly recent submission but I had already been enjoying for a couple weeks. Also a little sad that I missed this in 2012.

the root and the basilisk is Greg's solo acoustic based venture and also should be given proper up's as an incredible release of progressive solo work. So please check all three because I can promise you will not be sorry

AT ALL! BOOM!

HOUSES

Roz Raskin and The Rice Cakes - Floor Boards

(Upcoming) Strawberry Girls - French Spiritual (2013)

Incoming threat....this is going to level your face.

Strawberry Girls.  Epic Instrumental Math Riffery

Check the couple tracks already out then hit the previous years release.

WRD

strawberrygirls

POSTMADONNA - Postmadonna (2013)

The first time I heard these guys in 2011 with their release VALIS it was a sound of a band that had lofty goals but was still undecided. Their 2012 release began cementing their unique math rock sound as a unit. Here we have what I would consider their first unified statement, and a bold one at that.

In many ways this is math pop ..... in structure ...sometimes... and vocals...sometimes... Its hard to pin and thats the mark of a group that is comfortable in the skin they have created for themselves. Of course you can point to new school elements cribbed from more recent groups but that would be unfair because the heart that went into creating this is incredible. It also has to be mentioned that this mama has a density that I rarely see in math these days. Every moment is teaming with something awesome going on in some way. It's a huge sound and truthfully if done improperly it could collapse on itself like a dying star and be a mud math mess. I will say that headphones help to really dig into the nuances of the pieces.

It occurs to me that I haven't even spoken about the instruments. Lets just say "dees cats is nasty" Razor dime turns into grand mini chorus's that disappear in a moment into the actual pay off. This is the kind of thing I live for in math rock.

postmadonna

Sordid Sidearm: Reggie Watts- Why Shit So Crazy (2010)

I have been a big fan of Reggie Watts for a few years, but apparently that is just not long enough. Although I know this deadly dudeman as a hilariously talented musical comedian, he has been an active musician since studying the piano at the age of five, eventually going to college studying jazz, preforming in a great number of musical groups in various capacities, and slowly learning how to compose and perform solo using his skills on his looping pedals, keyboards, and acapella vocal chops. Now, at the ripe age of 41 and a solid 20 years into his musical career, he is well versed in bringing a killer show to an audience.

Those of you who may not know of Reggie might be surprised to learn he has composed a few current theme songs (the intro music to both Key and Peele and Comedy Bang Bang spring to mind), acts as sidekick to Scott Aukerman on the Comedy Bang Bang IFC show, has brought his skills to TED Talks, and just recently released a 30 track live/ studio comedy album, Why Shit So Crazy. Although it is nice to hear his skill put under the microscope that a studio recording affords (as demonstrated in songs like Fuck Shit Stack), his live shows are just as tight as studio tracks with the added bonus of his monologues and skits that run between, and sometimes during, songs; in short, I enjoy the art of his performances immensely. The video I continue to show friends is a song he did on Conan around the time Why Shit So Crazy was released. Not only is it hilarious, but it really showcases his skills in both his musical/ technical abilities and also how disarmingly goofy he presents himself when on the stage.



why shit so crazy?