Emma Ate the Lion - Songs Two Count Too (2013)

Jesum, this is some incredibly self-assured progressive math. Massachusetts-based Emma Ate the Lion hurl some varied styles at the wall and they paint the picture of a group ready to take on anything. Post-hardcore breaks? Progressive structures? Time changes? Soaring vocals? all here firing in sync. The biggest asset these guys have (aside from everything) is that keyboard/organ player absolutely ripping it hard and dictating each song's next few steps. Vocals firmly throw this in the realm of math-pop but perhaps the most diverse pop I've heard in a dog's day. It's refreshing to hear a group so comfortable in a sound they clearly have crafted for themselves. While the genres are familiar the presentation is captivating to listen to unfold before you.

HIGHLY suggest that everyone with a passing interest in anything music related needs to check this out.
Dare I say this is my new favorite album? Certainly
one to dethrone on this last quarter of 2013.  

EATL (2013)   

Calcius Repton - Futari (2010)

Breath in the majestic sounds of two piece bass and drums. Think you know what it sounds like already? consider that you are very possibly wrong and dive in. What we have on display is some incredibly deft bass guitar playing that seems to take much joy in blurring the lines between prog, math and funk. Great twists and turns to be had here as well some pretty melodically memorable moments. What about the drums? no worries because they are totally on par ripping up the landscape. A must have for any fan of highly technical music.  Stellar.

HIMSELF - SELFLESS (2012)

Just posted a track off this on the Facebook page and decided it wasn't fair for everyone not to fully enjoy this wonderful noise. UK based alt rock math with spoken word sing songy vocals?? 

Honestly there have been some rumblings on these guys around the interwebs and have been a little surprised to not see more. The vocal style is a little ugh how should i say "gonzo"  while not being annoying and adds a nice bit of personality. Not horribly mathy but progressive never the less. these guys can bring the party down to a really tense chill level and raise up some heavy crushing riffs. Certainly to be checked out.

Xavii - Our Recent Futures (2012)

The amount of groups I have yet to post from 2012 is a little maddening...

ANYWAY

 

Xavii are a Georgia based group that amass a healthy stable of influences into 

one that they fully own. Slight jazzy prog with tender interweaving math guitars. More than capable vocals help round out the equation as well. This however is not a snore bomb by any means 

and they frequently loosen their belts to exercise some 

very interesting stops and starts. 

As always I wouldn't steer you fine folks and folkettes wrong, this is quality biz.

xavii

Shanghai Sally - Motive Kamatsu (2011)

SOMETHING DIFFERENT! THANK YOU. 

It is a wonderful thing to see so much math rock in the air these days but it makes it that much harder

to truly unearth the ones that "have something special" or are "trying to push the genre"..I digress. Shanghai Sally here take an interesting angle that could easily turn into a dark situation. Progressive rock core with math rock rhythms and ....wait for it....jam band style solo's. Sounds like a recipe for bad times BUT this four piece clearly know what they are doing. Impressive instrumental gymnastics aside these guys are a lot of fun. The solo's themselves also don't feel tacked on and if at any moment they are grating on you the rhythm section is freaking the flack out with some inhuman groove. Trust is a beautiful thing so click below and show them some love. 

shanghaisally

dedleaves (2012)

There's something incredibly charming about this 4 piece instrumental group from Baltimore...I dont know if I have hit on it just yet but I am really enjoying this first effort. I wouldn't classify this as math rock but there is plenty of rhythmic complexity for any mathnick to nod in satisfaction. Something that is missing from a good amount of progressive group's such as dedleaves is ATMOSPHERE. These guys have zero problem with that aspect and maybe thats what I can appreciate the most that makes them so special. Each song is structured interestingly as well moving seamlessly into new passages. Which pretty much brings us into the very clear post-rock end of this music.  Incredibly solid album. no duds. Grab this up. Loving it

dedleaves

Dispo / Barberos - You vs Us / Us vs You

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. 

split

Shield Your Eyes

London based Shield Your Eyes have been banging out incredibly solid noise for a couple years now.

They have been mentioned in passing on this site and our facebook group...but they most certainly deserve a more formal appreciation. A power trio in every sense of the word. Not your standard math rock either more of a prog-blues with time signature bending flirtations. Some pretty gal dern unique guitar riffs flying in and out of this as well  which I believe makes it that much more special. At times noisey and chaotic yet can move rather quickly to something much more subdued from song to song or within a song. 

Volume 4 is there 2011 release which is a great place to start with these guys

Live performance that is well recorded and downloadable for free....yes free. 

Also just as a question here... do people listen to podcasts? if we did one would anyone listen? The idea has been floating around to have a plenty of swords podcast but if it sounds like a bad idea...well let us know please.

3dCosby - Satans Secret (2012)

My great state of New York is home to many amazing musical acts. In the realm of Math Rock the number only seems to be growing. 3dCosby are an interesting case when it comes to the typical smash and grab math we post here. Sure certain passages and songs can make the claim but there is a much stronger progressive vibe running through these pieces. It is to the duo's credit that they manage to internalize a lot of loved genre's into very much there own deal. Dont like one song? well chances are there will be something for you as these guys seem incredibly comfortable bouncing back and forth on whim. Check er ut.

3dcosby

Wishbone - Et Cetera (2012)

I am a large dork for anything progressive and post-hardcore. To make a long boring story short I was just listening to this new (ish) release by a band from South Jersey called Wishbone that fires on all cylinders. Has a little bit of mathy elements but check your bags at the door this is some nasty post-hardcore with inspired structures and solid vox.

et cetera

Our Brother The Native - Vows (2011)

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.

Vows (2011)

Pulseve - Magnet EP

Had ran into these guys awhile back and perhaps did not give them a fair chance. Thankfully an email from them allowed me to dive back in.  Hailing from Italy, Pulseve weave a pretty unique blend of Post-rock, progressive tones, math rock attack and a surprising amount of atmosphere. I've said this before and I will say it again, there is a serious lack of darker tinged math rock in today's musical landscape. Hearing those dark ambient progressions is simply music to my ears not to mention that bass guitar tone is flipping sensational. Another item of note is the fact that this is a two piece which is even more impressive considering the mood they can strike with limited personnel.

From their site:

"Torino based duo (drum+bass) blends silence and rage, nightmares and daydreaming, feet digging the ground / hands air floating. 2011 debut EP “Magnet” belches out cannibal affairs, earthly desires and blackmailed toreros. Gravity is dancing on tightropes.

pulseve is:
Diego Franchino, drums
Maurizio Veglio, bass"

Magnet EP 
 

Snaarj

Alto and tenor saxophones interweave lines in and out of one another while a (dare I use the term)"funky" bass holds down the festivities. The drummer mixes some devilish poly-rhythms while still keeping it delightfully tasteful. Snaarj claims a number of different genre identifiers in their Bio and would like to be tagged as "sax pop" I however feel this doesn't really do them justice. Sure the indie rock spirit is there but these guys seem more progressive rock driven than maybe they'd say. All genre finger pointing aside this is some wonderfully composed music from four friends how clearly love what they do. There seems to be a growing number of bands latching onto this sort of setup and many die by the sword. Snaarj has one song up on their bandcamp from this year (Husky Plus) that seems to sum up in short order what to expect. The live album also shows that there are others to come that are just as excellent. I wait with eager palms outstretched for whats to come.

SNAAAAARRJJ!!

Innerty - Tabula Rasa

Ok. So heres the deal. I am kind of back and forth on these guys. Innerty is from France and play a sort of hybrid beast Progressive Death Metal and Math Rock. Yes there are death metal vocals, so if thats not your thing looks elsewhere. Musically these dudes rip the landscape up in fine fashion when they are focusing on their progressive side. Trouble brews when they fall back on tired metal conventions in their songwriting. If this sounds at all delicious in anyway to you then I suggest you snatch it up.

Tabula Rasa (2012)

The Reign of Kindo

First off thanks must go to Metaghost for dropping this warhead on me not too long ago. If you've been following the mix's their name has surfaced more than a few times, let me tell you why. The Reign of Kindo hails from Buffalo NY fairly close to my neck of the woods. The great part here is the seamless blend of styles that really makes this better than many bands that try to milk this ilk. You have the base which I guess you could say is indie rock but is equal parts mixed with jazz rock as well. Structurally its a titch poppy to be honest. Please don't be afraid by this statement or you will be passing up a really special band. Vocals are top notch soaring through runs. Just incredibly tasteful yet powerful and well trained which is something a lot of bands should take note of. Progressive influences are brought in through the back door via the jazz rock and this just adds interest to each piece. If you can guess where this is going your right, the drums. Steve Padin's licks and fills are a constant interest here to say the least. Shit is golden.


Rhythm Chord and Melody (2008)

This Is What Happens (2010)

Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution (2007)

There is some division here at The Swords over this group, but I'm here to say while not a large fan of past releases 2007's Namesake Caution has some honest to Christmas amazing songs going on. Time of Orchids during their....time were a group very in love with classic prog rock and putting a modern day spin on it. Guitar's play off key melodies as much as they play catchy progressions but they are usually always met with the opposite vocal treatment. Vocals are very often layered with odd harmonies on top but its a technique that works and really gives it that throwback progressive sound. Its a balanced way of carrying out their songs and even a few times the two end up meeting for some actual moments of melodic harmony. Things do tend to get a bit technical but it never sounds ends up sounding academic.  With most things progressive though without proper song structure things can fall into the indulgent rather quickly with nothing to hold you. There are plenty of intelligent twists and turns to keep you engaged thankfully. I can not however say these guys are for everyone. Just something you'll have to figure out on your own. You know where I stand at least.



Namesake Caution (2007)

Clever Girl - No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room

The instantly impressive Clever Girl have left a surprisingly large mark considering their on and only release is four tracks deep. Bad news time they are currently defunct. This changes zilch as these four songs are tight as all get out. Jangled mathy guitars and intricate drums with progressive structure. On tap as well is the Saxophone. On paper sounds a bit like our buds "A Troop of Echoes" truthfully however The Troop take their saxophone parts way more seriously and are not so jangly anyway. Carrying onward Clever Girl covers a lot of ground in four songs and youll be begging for more when its over so eat up folks dinner is served.

Complete Discography
(reanimated corpse)
(love ~acerola)

Jardín de la Croix - Ocean Cosmonauts

Effortless. That is about the best I could possibly come up with.  There are groups out there right now trying very hard to do this exact shtick, everyone of them fall short. Jardín de la Croix is indeed from Madrid Spain yet there is very little here that tips their hands to this fact.  You hate to even break something this self assured into a category but its progressive and instrumental to be sure. Mathy? yea like more than a little. Some classy as fuck tapping? it litters the landscape. The kicker is each of these are balanced in such a way that nothing is over cooked or too rare. What I will say that gives it a nice edge without losing step is the clear metal influence going on here. No you wont find a chugging break down going on but more in spirit. Every god forsaken instrument here is playing a vital role in the furthering of each passage.  Structure wise you'll be listening intently to see where the hell these guys are going next. truthfully I was stuck on the first two songs for so long because it wasn't making sense how flawless this really is. Yes I did say flawless and you know what that means.....stop reading and get to get getting.  

Ocean Cosmonauts

Shining - Blackjazz

Norwegian avant prog metal. Yes your right that could make it sound like anything really so here is the skinny. Heavy use of keyboards along side the guitars give it a more approachable nature but still guitars are heavy and everywhere. Vocals are varied and move from hushed creep outs to the typical metal screams. If you want to talk structure as this is progressive metal we are talking about here take out the metal elements and add a mess of horns (sax also crops up in this release) and youve got yourself a damn fine jazz record. I guess it shouldn't be surprising to know then that these gents used to be an acoustic jazz group. Oh and one last thing there's a pretty flipping awesome cover of King Crimsons "21st Century Schizoid Man" that is absolutely crushing.

Blackjazz

Mouse On The Keys

Piano Driven Jazz Math

As Metaghost will certainly attest to, Mouse on the Keys is some seriously amazing stuff. I cant think of another progressive jazz group that employs math elements that is really this fun and knows how to man handle a groove. The drummer for this group needs to give lessons to some of the other math rock groups, possibly start some sort of out reach program. I'm shamefully unfamiliar with these guys former group "Nine Days Wonder" but I'd be willing to bet its pretty straight amazing as well. Thank you Japan once again for sending us auditory delights.

mouse on the keys

an anxious object   (Track 2, Spectres Des Mouse, has possibly the single tightest drum lick of your life)