2013....a year in review...(PART 1)

Here is the first installment of my round up for the year. These are by no means an "ordered list of my favorite albums from 2013" like you will see elsewhere..... However these are releases that have had real staying power for me through the year. More to come soon.

Our Daily Fix - Tour Singles 
The fix is in... (North of America reference anyone?) but seriously ODF has a formula that should be the envy of any band going. High energy fun with loads of jazz love, great math twists and cohesive songwriting chops. does it help that their sax player rips? yes possibly. Tour Singles has been a go to for myself this year and after having seen them for the second time it has only made my feeling's all the more fond.
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Piles and Piles - Premonitions Say
Boston based Piles maybe a fresh faced group but that certainly didn't stop them from landing a 747 on the head of pin. By that I mean their first effort is absolutely brimming with great ideas executed well and doesn't dwell on any one for too long. I can easily see their next release being an even greater barn torcher because of this, mark my words. Also the under lying shoegaze element these gents pass around cloaks these already great songs with some pizazz. Add in some more than capable vocals and an ability to launch from gauzy to full bore rock at a moments notice and you've got a top contender for my heart in 2013.

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Toasted Plastic - June Highs
Jersey band number 2? better check the water. Toasted win the award for melding that punk rock sound/energy into impossibly delightful pop delights while still careening around the landscape like a drunken master. That would be enough for me but couple that with some insanely catchy vocals both sung and screamed and its a recipe for me loving the junk out of this release. Somehow sounding like a throwback to the golden years of math rock in the 90's while still smelling so fresh and so clean clean. A must on my list for bands to see in 2014.


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Gulfer - Transcendals
What can I say about Montreal's Gulfer that hasn't already been said by myself this year? An impossible understanding of rhythm displayed and juxtaposing that in their song writing. Everyone in this group is firing perfectly. Carrying the delicate melodies to music that realistically shouldn't sound this gorgeous is no easy feat. Oh? whats this? another member and a new song? and its somehow better?
yes, yes it is.
Get used to this name because 2014 will be the year of the Gulfer

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Ithaca NY 7/10/13: MTMTM, Cameron Wisch, Perhaps, Our Daily Fix, Nicknames, Sovereignties

Ithaca NY 7/10/13:

Tour season has been in full swing for a bit now and it has been no exception for one of my favorite local bands (Mouth to Mouth to Mouth) that are currently on tour with Cameron Wisch as both their touring guitarist and as a solo act. 

Sadly I happened to miss most of Sovereignties set which happened to sound pretty killer walking into. Really wished I could have caught more of it as it seemed a pretty fair blend of spot on drums and mathy emo guitar. Nicknames (sans new bassist) did a highly energetic run through of their set which was a decent take on more classic 90's emo sounds with the very in scream/sing vox. 

Perhaps came on next and was certainly a group that I was excited to experience live. Their blend of psychedelic prog I knew would be perfect for an in your face performance.  An unimaginable amount of endurance must go into practices with these guys as it was about a 30 minute non stop straight assault to my brain. Extremely impressive as the lines between rehearsed portions and improv were blended seamlessly. In talking with the bassist after the show composition falls squarely on his shoulders and that was perfectly clear watching him play almost in a trance of bass runs.

Our Daily Fix next as always puts on an amazing show and it was great to hear the newer songs on their tour single again. What is great about these guys is the balance of that emo "skramz" sound and some highly technical jazz prog math. Not too mention any horns in a math rock band get automatic extra points. No band does it as good as ODF and they prove it each and every time I see them. Ending with "Two Cats" put a big old smile on my face for sure. Wonderful stuff. 

It was a bit hard to guess what Cameron Wisch was going to pull out for the night as he has seemed pretty focused on his modern comp pieces. Which for the most part is exactly what we were treated to albeit with pre-recorded strings (obviously) and guitar and vocals from Cameron. Doing things in that way is incredibly difficult but was pulled off with near flawless accuracy. It was a great change of pace for the show thus far slowing things down a bit. For the last two songs Cameron had stolen Gabe (MTMTM's) drummer for two songs that were more in the style of fast alt math that we are used to from him. With the short amount of time Gabe had to pull this off (as you could guess Mr. Wisch's drum parts are never straight forward) Gabe did a superb job.

Last but certainly not least was Mouth to Mouth to Mouth minus Corey (stuck in Chicago) plus Cameron Wisch on second guitar. With four practices under their belts together it was a disgustingly amazing performance and a show stealer in my opinion. These guys have synthesized a large amount of influences into an incredibly engaging blend of punk rock energy and technical prowess via the maths. Great emotional breakdowns and pleasing mid range tap fests all are mashed into a pie that is as fun to eat as it is to watch.  It may seem like I am playing favorites but they certainly should be getting some heavy cred with all the wokr they've been pouring in. Having just finished playing Rochester and Buffalo the boys are currently in Canada about to rip it up in Toronto and then Montreal:

7/13: Toronto (house show) w/ Junior Bob

7/14: Montreal at Casa del Popol w/ Golden Python, tba

7/15: Ithaca w/ GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES! // Goddard

Yes you see that correctly ill be back soon with another review after Monday's show with the boys in double G's. All is right in the world. 

Our Daily Fix - Tour Singles (2013)

Last Time on Swords o Plenty....

Once you have stood in a crowded room full of your peers in various stages of undress pouring sweat and genuinely being hypnotized by the shear brilliance in front of you....there is no way you can be "on the fence"  I am a soldier ready to do battle for them. Our Daily Fix is my perfect example of this. These guys play like the factory is about to blow at any second....seriously. It's a very organic and honest look at modern math rock today. Sure they salt and pepper with various other genre's but its the tight corners they take and the memorable structures that grant character and heart to their music.  Also to quell any doubting Thomas's that saxophone rips hard.  Sometimes its like a friendly battle between the sax and guitar for awesome riff supremacy. Need an example? Listen to "Two Cats" and check out that dueling riff work at 1:24 straight to the heavens.  You can be sure ill be seeing these gents again in about a week so expect more overly excited screaming from me. 

Paper Mice - Paint it Pink (2009)

Chicago, a name that is notorious for post-rock also houses the ever energetic Paper Mice. A power trio in every sense of the word. This is tightly tidy twitchy post punk group with a healthy dallop of the Math Rock we crave on a daily basis. I use the word tidy above because these guys keeps things generally around the 2 minute mark or less. It's a great way to really condense everything down to the best of the rest. Twitchy? well they tend to stop on a dime (frequently), pick it up, chew it around in their mouth and spit out gold.  Vocals are also pretty prominent and only add an extra dimension to the otherwise bonkers punk experience. GREEEAAAT stuff gentleladymens. 

Can not forgot to mention that they will be playing along with Our Daily Fix and Mouth to Mouth to Mouth.  http://www.facebook.com/events/402437086473256/
If anyone is even considering coming out to Ithaca NY, I promise it will be a wonderous show

Not to mention.. DIONAEA is playing that Sunday!
http://www.facebook.com/events/325861787497140/

Should prove to be a lovely weekend :)

Paint it Pink