Some mixed meter and shifting times from this solo electro post-hardcore math project — sounds interesting right? Well, that's prolly cause it is. This comes to us from Ireland and is actually a lot funkier than I would have guessed. Something a little different than the standard "r o c k" based biz I bring, so drink up.
Aside from the god awful album name this is some thoughtful and intelligent dance rock from Germany. Dance rock typically invokes some dangerous thoughts...yes I know this...(The Rapture *cough*) Thankfully these guys keep their cards close and have some love for many genres. Post rock? yea. Math? mhm Alternative Rock? sure throw it in there to. Truthfully I have posted these guys on our facebook group but it just occured that an official post had not been created. There is a little somethin somethin here for one and all so certainly its one to check out.
Cordyceps is a Belgian two-piece that marries some interesting elements. Electronic music along side live guitars. The rhythms are mathy but you could also argue that its more of a case of glitch and breakcore with some pleasant guitars. Dont be fooled though because this is worth the time to check into. You could easily dismiss this as gimmicky, as surface descriptions smack of such things. Its not new by any means but its different enough and done with enough love that it deserves its spot certainly. Have to say as well that as is not usually the case the spoken word samples help add a great dynamic.
For the hours I put in combing the interwebs for interesting maths sometimes the best is delivered right to me. True Aristocrats is one such that right off the bat impresses with its inability to be pegged. Is it Mathy? very much so. Most importantly though are the many other complimentary sounds. Electronic elements, bits of noise and a general sense of experimentation rule roost here. Very much wish I ran into more groups that push themselves like this.
Its also worth saying that those drums are all of the map of awesome town.
Its in everyones best interest to at least give it a look.
Starts off pretty unassuming but give it a moment and trust that things just
get better and better. Incredible balance of electronic elements mixed with interesting post rock builds and the beating heart of math rock. Some genuinely unique sounds here along with some stellar percussion. A favorite of the moment actually.
Brooklyn Trio inside//outside just dropped their deput and I've gotta say
right out of the gates its a dazzler. Truthfully this owes much more to Jazz / Jazz Fusion than math rock however that should not deter anyone. Electronic and post - rock elements as well make themselves known. Highly recommend if your into excellent jazz that is interested in pushing some boundaries. Very atmospheric. Very tasty.
An interestingly paired split here that does share some similarities. Dispo's portion is more math rock bent but still has some electronic elements in common with Barberos. A harder pop sense also runs through their three songs, in fact I find it hard even to say "pop" really. Excellent rhythmic sense and pretty inventive vocal use. Would love to hear a full length for sure from these Italians.
Barberos, as said before, is the more electronic minded end but still brings in some interesting rhythms as well. The last song is a bit long....which I dont normally gripe about but it loses the quick pace of the ep. I would have to hear at least one more song to grab a full opinion but UK based Barberos do hold their own very well.
Electro ambient math that could be equated to a nice walk through the park in the best way possible. Ups for trying for something off the path a bit and tends to follow at times a zefs chasing cara vibe. A very guitar oriented affair as well. Check it out please and thank you.
The spirit of psychedelic prog runs strong with these two ghost runners. But to tag as an automatic throw back? nah brah shit is updated and upgraded. Heavy electronic elements and a drummer that seriously never takes a millisecond break. Is this mathy? eehhhh id be hard pressed to make a case for that but there are certain songs that have there moments. however those that enjoy such ventures will latch right onto the frentic drums and chaotic music.
In the mood to exit the room your sitting in? Stick those headphones in because this is something thats sure to take your mind away for at least the duration of of this record.
Prismatic Mantis inhabit a realm of ambient shifts that glide toward controlled chaos. Within this ecosystem at odds, the creatures that have acclimated to such a habit truly run the range as well. Acoustic spanish tinged guitar, space-jazz (space-jam?), math rock, electronic, controlled noise, sampled music and progressive rock. All of this and more with a layer of psychedelia blanketed on top. I use these organic words because what you're about to experience is a very natural sounding project that is incredibly honest. With everything firing its easy to assume that it could come off incredibly cold....this is the furthest from the truth one would imagine.
I can't stress this enough. This is beautiful work from individuals that have a clear vision and are artistically restless. Rarely does one run head first into a work so dense and chalk full of ideas. To close, I would like to thank those responsible for opening my vision and to plead to our limited readers that this is something that you should not pass by without giving this a heavy listen.
Getting smacked in the face by music is one of my more favorite things to have happen to me when I have a first run through of an album.
Racquets - occupies a space in music that is electronic but also with live instrumentation. sounds simple enough however this stuff is (((((INCREDIBLY)))) busy, jazzy, occationally funky, and one of our over used words here "mathy". Everyone should be excited about this because it is just something you've gotta check out. The production on those nimble drums just sets my heart ablaze with love. jesus christmas nuts this is one those groups that just as you think they are done doing something sweet THEY DO SOMETHING EVEN MORE BRAIN MELTING. PLEASE!
Exchampion - A side project of Raquets is similiar in some ways but different in some pretty interesting ways. Exchampion while still seemingly having some live instrumentation seems more focused on synth's and different sounds than their main project. I perfer the above better but its kind of like saying I prefer green tea to peppermint tea, both rock me to my core.
Seems like we are straying further and further from "traditional" math rock. This is by all accounts some pretty straight up electronic style bizz. But it has a nice organic instrumentality that is at times pretty jazzy (throw in mention of math rock here). So if this sort of thing tends to scare you off I can assure you there are plenty of things to like here with Falcon Punch!. Also worth noting is how has no one named their band Falcon Punch until now?
Ok so Darren at New Noise Archives posted this fine piece of math up the other day. Which before I get any further, people should go there and check his blog out. He clearly puts time and effort into finding these bands, its good stuff.
Anywho Mike Curtin solo math rock stuff that is truly the voice of one man. Excellent production values and some really awesome structural progressions. Some electronic elements but this is math rock at its finest. Mark my words just one of those albums that should be getting major major props for sticking its neck out in places. You will not be ashamed when you bring this philly home, she's a beaut.
Perhaps a little off the beaten path but grab your favorite walking staves and I will show you something that you will really enjoy.
Our Brother The Native appears to be the bulk responsibility of one Joshua Bertam hailing from Ann Arbour Michigan. A rotating cast of players help flesh out the rest.
Ambient yet busy with a strong pop sense. Group vocals play a large roll as well as a heavy percussion aspect. Structurally songs take twists and turns like a frantic orchestra. Instruments fly in and out oboe, strings, guitar who the hell knows half the time. Amidst this growing business there is a electronic glitch component that skews the proceedings even further with a cavalcade of samples. So what we get essentially is progressive baroque glitch pop? Now if I was just reading that I would say "well I need to hear what the hell that sounds like" You really should. This is some carefully crafted enjoyable musics right here.
There's been some talk of Loose Lips Sink Ships on the fantasmagorical facebook arm of this fine musical blog....cough..cough.. Plenty of Swords (facebook edition)
Anyway's I promised to post an off shoot of LLSS from guitarist Conor Mackey called The Soft Greens. This is very much NOT math rock as if you couldn't latch onto that fact within the first .5 seconds. This is electronic dance pop albeit very Frankensteined. Rhythmically at times this stuff gets super complex and wild with some deep breaks thrown in. Maybe if Aphex Twin had a 15 year old second cousin that was into max tundra? In any case it needs to be checked into. mark it.
Rarely does music get plopped into my lap that makes me truly excited. When I opened my email to find a bandcamp link to Peru based Kinder, I was floored. This is a perfect amalgamation of indie rock, experimental, electronic and math elements. Flawlessly executed and jammed tight with little room for another instrument to even play a note in edge wise. Its high energy rarely lets up and even then it seethes with such forward movement you wait on the edge of your chair to see where its going to take you next.
Zucchini Drive is an electronic Hip hop duo from Brussels and Sweden. My taste in such fair is pretty selective so if your surprised don't be these guys are very excellent. Lyrically at times they can be easy to dismiss but this is more than made up for with emotional beats and an interesting lo-fi aesthetic. I wasn't sold on first listen years ago it did take a couple passes but in the end it was worth it. Like i said those these beats are pretty creative often utilizing acoustic guitars and having a decidedly old school flavor. Its possible that this isn't for all parties but it's worth a shot if any of what I just said perked your ear.
As per usual, I am hearing about so much music all the time these days that random things get plopped into my lap that I dont have much time to absorb or appreciate. Such was the case in a conversation I had with Acey the other day, where I asked him for his top 3 recommendations of the music he's been listening to in the last few weeks. We got to talking, and we both realized I had let Damiera completely slip past my ears. Acey flipped his shit about that, and eventually came to also recommend the first Stage Kids album, as well as telling me to really sink my teeth into American Don.
Then today, a friend recommended the 3rd free release by a mysterious solo artist named The Weeknd. He wrote a trilogy of 9 track albums, all released through his website for free download spread across 2011. It is foreboding, dark electro r&b, with a nice selection of instrumentation and a killer voice that he doesn't mind obscuring in production trickery; but he knows when to pull back the curtains to give you that clean hook and harmonies. These 27 tracks have been added to my new Must-Listen folder in my iTunes; this the first track off Thursday, his 2nd album in the trilogy. All three albums are available for free at his website, below: The Weeknd - Lonely Star by The_Weeknd ___________________________________________________
They are back and JESUS MAGIC CHRISTMAS this couldn't get any better. Those of you out there that thought they were too young or lacked ideas well your face just got noise checked. This is as sure footed as it gets for instrumental math rock. Super well produced and spit shined. I think its also safe to smack about the fact that everyone must have leveled up on their instruments at least 5 times as well. The ideas flowing here are numerous and are just curve ball enough to make you fist pump at the same time as your brain smiles. Electronic elements are sprinkled into the math rock this time ever so slightly as well as the completely electronic songs.
If you missed them the first time then heres your second chance at a brand new life filled with lush guitars and complicated poly-rhythms. Put this under the tree because your entire family will thank you for it.
For a self-titled EP this sure is a hoot and a half better than I'm used to hearing. Texas school mates Equals provide an extremely diverse palette of energetic post-rock with a clear love for the sweet sweet mathy goodness. Also of interest is the electronic end of things which more and more post-rock groups are pocketing these days. To be honest there are a lot of groups trying to ape that electro flim flam 65 days of post-math that is very rarely done well. Equals dials down the electronic elements and focuses on engaging songwriting, mood and at times pretty intricate instrumentation. What happens to be refreshing and sets these guys apart in addition are those melodic guitar lines that are getting dropped all over the damn place. If Equals can keep this kind of momentum up I dare say we should be looking at a pretty classy full length in the wings.
