Likes Lions - First the Head Later the Tail (2012)

Vocal centric alt-rock with a generous slathering of math from England. What you might be noticing first off is that your not going to get buried in time shifts and dissonant guitar heroics but you can expect some pretty powerful pop hooks...the good kind. Clearly a lot of blood and tears has been put into ensuring that these 5 songs run as a cohesive statement of who they are as a group.  So if you need the lighter side of your math rock cravings satiated while still getting some polished songwriting and excellent singing then I suggest you do what is best and click below.

Likes Lions

Ninetails - Ghost Ride the Whip

Ninetails hails from England and play an interesting blend of rock music's.  Love the name by the way. We get a small idea of what these guys are bringing to the table with this three song EP.  Post rock, indie rock, indie pop, math rock yet pretty vocal driven as well. Structurally these songs are interestingly arranged and its nice to be kept on your toes a bit where each song is going to turn to. HOWEVER some kind of synthesizing would be appreciated as I can see a full length of this sort of strategy getting a bit flim flammy. For a short player it's nice to see a group spreading its feathers and I certainly look forward to more.

Ghost-ride-the-whip bandcamp

Brontide - Sans Souci (2011)

Brontide (definition)- A sound like distant thunder

This hotly anticipated outing by relative newcomers Brontide seems to be living up to expectations. An English trio dishing out an instrumental math rock sound that can be likened to a more energetic Russian Circles with a bit of Battles thrown in (think early Ep's). Theirs is a varied post rock approach set up in such a way that no songs become stale. The Obvious metal influences surface when the distortion is kicked on and it gets the job done pretty competently.  What I believe to be the star lion tamer going on here though is when they actually buckle down with some looped guitars and up the melody factor. It allows the group more rhythmic freedom which they have a strong grasp of when they are in that mode.  the Production is crystal clear which I am always thankful for. A small gripe is that it appears they never quite try to break the mold but it's seriously such a consistent and enjoyable album I can bet you twenty bones you'll never even notice.

San Souci (2011)

Well Weapon Records Compilation #2

 

     Well Weapon Records are a Northern England based independent label. Having just released their 2nd compilation, they were nice enough to extend a chance for me to get a crack at a review.  So first things first what are we in store for here? Well a heaping helping of math mayhem is in store for your ears from some of the most promising new groups on the scene:

Track one from Bearcubbin'! starts things off a flurry of taps and builds from there. I was actually impressed structurally with where they ended up taking this 6 plus minute mini epic and each turn was sensible and well thought out. Looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future. 

The second track by Girlfriends (aka Jerry Joiner) perhaps even one up's Bearcubbin'! by offering some of the slickest dancey math rock I've heard in some time. Think Foals with a set of cajones but with post-hardcore scream singing. Very much into this joint, expect a full write up on his album at a later date.

"No Monster Clubs" offering while a solid song is unfortunately the odd man out in this comp. Not even for the fact that it doesn't follow math rock tropes like the rest of this release. Actually the last two songs here by "Russia Today" and "The Widest Smiling Faces" are great low key acoustic based offerings that really help close out the album. No Monster Clubs inclusion seems like an addition rather than something to further the comp.
   
"Laps Around the Sun" bring it back with an inspiring electro based song with rock conventions and instrumentation slowly added in. Very unique take that eventually saddles into an almost entirely post-rock affair.
   
Previously blogged about "Duck. Little Brother, Duck!" amp up the post hardcore math rock with one of their better songs "Billy Mays" It's a lot of fun and reminds me exactly how good a band firing on all cylinders can sound. They are a cohesive unit that doesn't monkey around any extras and they are all the better for it.

Bringing the jazz that I so richly love is "Suffer Like G Did." Kinda low key but starts setting the tone for the second half of the album. Great name by the way also.

Einhorn, which features Dominic Kesterton of zefs chasing cara, carries some ideas from his other group to Einhorn. Sparse intricate drumming and structurally interesting for math rock. This and the next track from "Lost From Atlas" might be my two favorites of the release. Atlas bring some powerhouse math to the party that breaks the mold for the second half really well.

All I can say is if this sounds even mildly interesting you owe it to yourself to make the small 5$ purchase. PLUS you get a zine with it. I know I am grabbing myself a copy.

Well Weapon Records

Bandcamp

Alright the Captain - Snib

An English rock band with one foot in that classy ass 90's math sound and the other firmly planted in their own bass monster death march. Very well thought out structure and in your face production make this a real treat to sit through thats for sure. You can almost sense the amount of fun these guys are having playing these songs.  I will say though that this wont change your summer vacation plans.  It just doesn't push in any one direction too much not enough to break out of the mold. Still its worth a glance, isn't everything?

Snib

pharaohs - we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas

I'm not going to say that these guys are incredibly mathy but I will say that its a lot of fun and there are some awesome guitar licks being traded. So imagine some kind of pop punk indie math rock that isn't trying to take itself so seriously.  Its a very solid EP all in all. These guys are from England  and actually sound a titch like a band I previously posted "Colour". The lyrics are pretty forgettable but end up being catchy anyway. BOOM!

We've Tried Nothing and We're All Out of Ideas EP