Tara Jane O'Neil - In the Sun Lines

Let me make this quick. In honor of my birthday it's only fitting to post an album that means a lot to me.  I have to say I am woefully ignorant of any other releases of Tara Jane O'Neil but this does not make the gravity of "In the Sun Lines" any less. Completely played by herself, it is a very emotional and slow burning album. Don't let that fool you though this album musically is amazing.  Think slow core post rock but with a more direct sense. See the connection we are making here is that Tara is originally the bassist from a little band called Rodan. For those that are familiar know that they were a contemporary of Slint...albeit a lesser known one.  Just give it a chance you wont be sorry, trust me.

In the Sun Lines

Bastro - Rode Hard and Put Up Wet (1988)/ Antlers Live (1991)

If Bastro is not a band that rings familiar in your dome well that perhaps is history's fault.

Time for a little Social Studies. Open your page to 182 please and follow along. Squirrel Bait from Louisville KY an up tempo shifting rock group broke up at the end of the 80's. Skag Heaven their crowning achievement is an interesting listen today. Not for its impressive musical nature per-say but because you will consistently get the feeling you've heard it before.  This could be because many argue that the group foreshadowed the grunge and math rock movements 90's (true).  Aside from being important on their own their dissolution actually caused more of a splash than anything else.  Here's the run down and you tell me.

Squirrel Bait Members:

Peter Searcy - Vocals (Big Wheel, Starbilly)

Clark Johnson - Bass (Bastro)

Britt Walford - Drums (Slint)

Brian McMahan -  Guitar (Slint, The For Carnation, King Kong)

David Grubs -  Guitar (Bastro, Gastr Del Sol)

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While most folks focus on the Louisville second coming of Jesus ( read: Slint) a lot of folks should be shifting their gaze toward the other more prominent group on this list. Bastro was certainly the more interesting of the two in my opinion. Their first EP Rode Hard and Put Up Wet (1988) is a widly pleasing  release.  Clear love of Big Black runs rampant with the the drum machine going full tilt but mathier elements do rear their head however subtle they may be. Each release after found the group settling into a post-hardcore punk style of melodic rock that smacks of the math we love today.

Sorry for being long winded but my point to this is that Bastro should be counted as the first modern math rock group. Sure we can all sit back and bandy about this influence and that influence through prog rock and modern comp but honest to flip here it is. If your still not entirely convinced check out Antlers live. released in 2005 these recordings were culled from various shows in 1991 and find the group at the end of their life span. The sound of which is true blue math in all its rough and ready glory.  John McEntire is punishing behind the kit (as well he should being a percussion major) and in my opinion the greatest of the early math drummers. Does the name sound familiar? that may be because McEntire went on to join Tortoise where he essentially became their musical leader.

If your at all interested in the roots of early math rock, or late 80's early 90's rock you can not pass this up. Seriously.

DEM LINKS BE DEADED PA!

Enablers - Blown Realms and Stalled Explosions

Now this is a real treat in my opinion. You don't see nearly enough dark math rock like this these days. So if your familiar with the OG's such as June of 44, Slint, Rodan, Shipping News then you can certainly start getting a head on what these gents sound like. But instead of recycled riffs you are served with a heaping portion of dark and strange chords thats cut at an angle just for you. If it ended with just the music I would be A-Ok with that. Thankfully we have Pete Simonelli on vox to complete this incredible package. Pete lays down the spoken word blitzkrieg, slinking through the labyrinthine guitar lines and actually producing some truly great poetry from what I was able to suss out.  May not be for everyone (If you dont like it your the suck) but its a great update on a style laid down years ago.

HIGHLY RECOMENDATATIONED



Blown Realms and Stalled Explosions

Zvoov - Everbrown (2011)

This is a sleeper album. On first listen, nothing really pops. Everything is well-executed and sounds nice, but there's nothing really jaw-dropping.

After a few listens, the album definitely starts to grow. The guitar parts are subtle, sneaky, and dark, highly reminiscent of Slint. The rhythms have an understated but groovy swagger. Its clear that a lot of thought went into composing each song. The parts are polished, interesting, and stand up to repeated listens.

In contrast to a lot of math-rock albums I've been listening to, there is nothing extreme or astonishing on this record. But a face-melting chopsfest does not appear to be Zvoov's intention here. Instead, they use restraint and have created a thoughtful, well-crafted album. Its an interesting approach to the genre and well-worth a listen.

Also, the drummer is one of the tallest men on earth.

Everbrown is available for free on Zvoov's Bandcamp.

STNNNG

Aggressively angular guitars mixed with spoken word vocals and shouting are always a recipe for success in my book. Clearly there is a deep love with Fugazi going on as well but I'd say its harder to find bands that aren't influenced by them so no points will be deducted.  There is also a liberal sprinkling of mathy structures but certainly not enough to be overbearing. At times I'd say they remind me if Slint was angrier and played faster, all in all a high compliment.  Not for everyone but a great redux of some classic 90's alternative indie rock with an edge

 Dignified Sissy
Fake Fake
The Smoke of My Will

PS. The cover art for Dignified Sissy is awesomely representative of how they sound