When we are talking left field music the Japanese always seem to be pushing boundaries. Math Rock as a genre is pretty new and there is still room for growth. While there is much in the way of awesome time bending groups today, I think we can all generally agree that not many venture past the typical expectations. Enter Kosuke Jodai, I have no information other than this concerning this release so we will let the music speak for itself. This is some serious stuff. Equal parts noise, synth laden math rock its hard to keep your baring at times. It walks the line surprisingly well all things considered because there is just a lot going on. What actually came to mind similarity wise was the cram jam math rock super beast "Hey!Tonal" previously covered. This is great stuff and I wish I had more info on it at all. Certainly fans of the genre need to check this out.
This much spoken about duo from Lancaster PA doesn't really play in the same realm as their two some brethren. I'm so glad to hear vocals going especially since they are done with complete conviction. Yes they are shouty and gruff but they hold a certain melodic quality that singers of this style miss. The guitars follow suit in this respect, at times intricate and melodic but with a gritty and repetitive metal tinged sheen. Musically think a stripped down indie math punk band and speed up the BPM's. The album itself really didn't affect me that much until I had a chance to see these guys live earlier this year. My lord these guys tore house. I wont even mention names but the groups I was most looking forward to catching dropped the ball, while 1994! earned their keep. Its sad that this kind of energy isn't easily found in groups these days.
When I hear of math rock across the ocean I get excited to catch a listen as it can be a unique affair. Denmark's power trio Town Portal do not in fact bring anything horribly unique to the table but have seemed to reanimate the corpse of 90's De Soto Records stalwarts such as "Shiner" and "Jawbox" which is just awesome for me. Another group previously covered that Town Portal reminds me of is Mike Banfield's (Ex Don Cab) current group Knot Feeder. Maybe not as in your face as Knot Feeder but Town Portal lay down some pretty gnarly grooves and keep it all pretty lock tight. Great Drum and Bass in sink with the guitar belting out some really nice alt-math metal skronk. The time changes miiiiight not be as labyrinthine as you'd expect of the more tech groups out there but its done so well your not left wondering when something cool is going to happen...it just is constantly happening. Very much worth your time to give this a gander, I promise you will keep coming back to it as its a solid first outing for this new group.
Never understood why more hub bub hasn't been made over this Greensboro NC two some but they make a glorious racket. Extremely tizzight math rock going on with these two. It just so happens drummer Jeremy Fountain was a former member of personal fav's Cinemechanica and short lived off shoot Serka. If that gives you any sort of indication what your in store for. Unfortunately this EP is short and sweet and I'm sure everyone will find themselves listening over and over again....or maybe that's just what I do, enjoy all the same.
Oh those Zazen Boys. Another band that deserves much recognition here at the Swords, Zazen Boys are japanese outfit that specialize in amazing math pop rock, and their catalog moves through various phases; their major releases (that i am familiar with) span from I-III, with EPs dotted throughout, all progressing forward to more popular sounds; with Zazen Boys I, they debuted as a 4 piece mathrock outfit, emphasizing catchy vocal choruses, with monotone vocal verses layered on top of complex guitar/ bass/ drum instrumentation, very well choreographed for a quartet. The styles of the songs range from chill dub sounds, to balls to the wall rock, as track 2, USODARAKE, demonstrates below:
The album is sick tits. I did want to include a video, so this is the title track to their 2005 EP, himitsu girls top secret. Epicness ensues. Dig it ya'll.
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.
OK ya'll. This one is a fucking godsend if you are unfamiliar. So, the Swords are renowned for Acerolas fantastic tastes and knowledge of all that is math rock, but so far in our coverage of all that is badass, Ebu Gogo has escaped our radar. And it is easy to forgive: the epic trio of Justin, Gavin and Brendan (all original members of the futurerock band Gruvis Malt), upon reaching a permanent hiatus with the band they formed as teenagers, decided to get together as a trio and write music that went back to their roots. What inspired them as musicians? What did they love to listen to, and what musical themes made practicing a fun exercise, instead of the soul-crushing perfectionism that came with a major labels demands? They found that release in Ebu Gogo, a band dedicated to oldschool videogame soundtracks, 80s movies and classical motifs. The results were staggering. Their two albums, Chase Scenes 1-14, and their follow-up, 2008s Worlds, are epic instrumental albums of insane musicianship, melodically intertwined bass, drums and keyboard that shine in all dimensions.
Chase Scenes was a hell of a debut, but in Worlds, they found a flowing videogame theme that made the album something special. There are recurring themes, such as the four part Waterworld suite that spans across the album; nods to the always appreciated Training Montage from countless 80s classics, and the wonder that is H.U.G.S.
Besides H.U.G.S., nothing says Ebu Gogo better than British Knights in Miami, which has one of the most badass breakdowns of all time. Oh god do i love how the drum and bass respond to Gavins keyboards at about 1:13. That shit is just the tightest breakdown of all time. Enjoy, bitches.
I realize there has not been a proper Don Caballero post on the page and there are sound reason's for this. I presume those that frequent here enjoy math rock and thusly must be at least semi-familiar with Don Cab. This is not the post where I gush wildly about their influence on modern rock or their progression from Pittsburgh Math Metal to Avant Math Rock but a chance to showcase one of the storied pieces of writing from the era. It was written by Fred Weaver who was on tour with them at the time and gives an extremely thoughtful approach to what we normally come to expect from a tour diary. I will say it's a bit long but an excellent read if you value this group. It covers some of the very final days of Don Cab discussing the large tension between Damon Che and Ian Williams after the release of American Don not too mention the horrible car accident the group was in as well.
For reason's of being my favorite Don Cab release lets jive a little about American Don. Now down to a three piece (After 1st guitarist Mike Banfield left) this left much more room for Ian's more avant classical bent. While holding down those rockist drum and bass parts it was really the final form these guys could have taken. As such it was the groups last proper release before the group disbanded and Damon Che hijacked Pittsburgh's resident Don Cab sound alike band Creta Bourzia to "re-form" the group. If anyone knows Damon's contact info please inform him that he is an amazingly awesome drummer and if he wants to have a band not to sully the name of Don Cabs any longer because its bullshit.
Shit son, I thought i was keeping an eye on the count, but apparently i lost track cuz us at the swords have done reached 25g's in site views. Fuck yeah swords fans! Thank you so much for checking in on us in our attempts to share cool things with people. As thanks, im going to add this track of my own; a Ninko original. I recorded it a little over a year ago; one of my favorite personal tracks ive written. Again, thank you all.
Bounce by ninko by the way, that picture is not of us at all.
I feel this is a long time coming; for those of you unfamiliar with the Wolf Parade action, hello! Good morning. Are you ready for some sickness? Wolf Parade was a happy accident; they formed in Quebec when Spencer Krugs record label asked him if he could throw something together as an opening act for a label-sponsored tour. He recruited fellow songwriter Dan Boeckner, and the two formed the basis of what was then dubbed Wolf Parade. They were artists I was completely unfamiliar with in their solo projects, but after their maiden tour together, when they were ready to release their first LP as a band, they did so in a very unique manner. Spencer and Dan work very well together, but have their own distinct voices and writing styles, so the three Wolf Parade albums that have been released share a similar A-B-A-B rotation, where the two songwriters bounce songs off each other, each song switching lead singer/ songwriter credits while incorporating the others respective skills into the instrumental and harmonic aspects of their tracks. Their debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, is a doozy, especially as debuts go; their sophomore release At Mount Zoomer is 2/3s awesome; and their third, Expo 86, is an outstanding indie rock album: at this point in my love of Wolf Parade, i am not sure if Queen Mary or Expo exceeds the other. I have digested Queen Mary a bit more deeply than Expo, so I will continue with that in mind.
For an act to debut an album such as Queen Mary is an anomaly: finding a cohesive sound and flow for an album basically written by two different people shows that they not respect each others choices, but put so much effort and intricacy into using the skills of the "second fiddles" to round out the mechanics of each individual track. It is a badass album; You Are A Runner starts the LP off with Spencer taking lead, but immediately bleeds into Dans amazing Modern World. The flow of the album is wonderful; so many standout tracks. I do want to highlight Dans track This Hearts on Fire, before getting into what I set out to talk about.
I'll Believe In Anything is one hell of a track. Shit ya'll. I could analyze it but i feel like it speaks for itself. The lyrics convey a sense of longing to be the savior of a woman needing to escape, while the video adds the twist of doing so just to prove the point that you are the better man in a competition for love.
I will start by saying that these guys never impressed me enough to give notice. Which does sound harsh but hear me out. A few years down the road (they have now since disbanded) I give Sorry No Ferrari a second chance to prove themselves. Ternary, the groups last album finds them playing the kind of interlocking math rock that owes more than a little to video games of our treasured past. Its not super catchy or even hyper technical but what it lacks in those two categories Ferrari certainly makes up for in song structure. Laying on a riff but never overstaying there welcome, the tasteful three guitar attack never sounds like any one person is trying to compete for their 15 minutes of fame. Each time I make it through the record I actually find new things that I enjoy about it and I'd say that's fairly rare with music like this. So revive a ghost with me and spin this.
Its here, and its a ripper! The new album from Giraffes? Giraffes! is out - their first studio effort since 2007.
I've been eagerly awaiting this disc for a long time. G?G! is one of my favorite bands of all time. Their stuff is super complex and mathy, but the melodies are what really sets them apart. They're not super obvious - they have some depth which requires a few listens to really dig into.
They seemed to take this a step further with Pink Magick. They get a little noisier and more aggressive than previous releases. While at first there are no "hit singles" that really pop out at you, after a few listens the rich complexity and depth is really apparent.
G?G! have also taken a more aggressive approach to production, using overdubs, looping, effects, and EQ to their advantage. There are shouts and bells and whistles all over the record.
While this record may not contain any iconic individual works, it is more consistent than their previous releases. More notes are played, making this record more subtle, if that even makes sense!
Heir apparent to the golden twelve string altar that houses such greats (Leo Kottke and John Fahey among others) is James Blackshaw. Just like his predecessors Blackshaw doesn't rely so much on ridiculous guitar runs and other such indulgent trappings that a lot of the newer "finger-style" artists fall into but rather its all about the preservation and mood of the piece. Don't get me wrong it's clear that he is a highly skilled player but its in that restraint that lies a mature musician capable of knowing when is right and when is wrong. All of his releases are great each with their own set of high's and lows. The "Holly EP" is a great two song entry into his work and in my opinion some of his best yet. Can't imagine any human beings being immune to such beautiful guitar pieces but then again people listen to ICP as well so there's that I suppose.
I will keep this brief because honestly, i do not know enough about these guys to go into any certain detail besides having a vague understanding of the group for about half a year. Metaghost mentioned them to me, having heard of them from either Gav Castleton or Wallpaper (i think), and showed me a few tunes after he had given the album a thorough listening-to himself. His recent mixes have included Stateless tracks, and after seeing yet another song of theirs among the tracks of his latest mix, it finally hit me to put down some dollars on the iTunes stores and pick up Matilda, their 2011 release. I have only heard it through once, but what has struck me is how coherent it is as a whole. It flows really well, which is something i have appreciated after digesting Dark Side of the Moon, bombed out and alone in a dark room, as a teenager. My favorite artists usually share that trait, and I always love finding a new album that flows as though not only did deep thought go into each song, but also how they relate to and blend into the others.
Ariel is track 2 off Matilda. Its spanish intro guitar lick, and the electronics that enter and sustain after the first chorus lay a nice foreground to the sparse, glitchy drums and dreamy music box ambient synths. And mentioning dudemans voice is not necessary; he carries the album with great melodies and the harmonies to back them up. Check it:
You can pick up Matilda here at the ninja tune website, or pick it up on the iTunes store.
i found this Danish trio a year or two ago while rocking some Pandora, and had to stop everything to check into what the hell it was i was hearing. although they are studio fiends and im not sure if they have a bigger band for live shows, No More Stories is a tight rock/pop album with great hooks. it goes many interesting places with a distinct, purposeful layout of songs, some rocking the fuck out with a huge sound, while others will be nicely composed minimal tracks with just piano and vocals. they start things off with a proper bang, after an intro track, with their single Introducing Palace Players, and a few tracks later comes Repeaterbeater, below. a bit artsy fartsy vid but aww yeah.
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Don't you guys hate when albums are shoddily sequenced? I know people mostly just be listening to their tunes with complete disregard to context, but goddamn do I get salty when I put on a record and things just be arbitrarily jammed together like a motherfucker ain't never eaten a PB & J sandwich. I used to buy Mars Volta LPs, and the first thing I would do is rip it and re-sequence, because those dudes are basically retarded and put their ballads next to their helicopter sound effects.
I give thanks to the folks in Happy Body Slow Brain for turning me onto this Australian multi-instrumentalist known as Gotye. They posted a link promoting his 3rd release, 2011s Making Mirrors, and after reading into it a bit I found the first single, Somebody That I Used to Know; the artistry and lovely melodic building that shows in the track had me hooked immediately. He's got a killer Peter Gabriel impression going on in that chorus, and the neat rhythm section and acoustics work really well with minimal electronica and nice vocal layers. Ive listened to it about 6 times since i first heard it; thats my first hint at being onto something that I will love, when i cannot get enough of it until it i have integrated it into being a part myself.
Keeping on the Australia kick, after digging into Gotye, i checked in on the lovely lady, Kimbra, who lends her voice to that Gotye single above, and was pleasantly surprised with her solo work. Shes got some really good production on her album, but what won me over on her was a series of Sing Sing Studios live performances up on the youtubes. In them, she performs 4 or 5 tracks from her album Vows with a slick band that help her to lay down some live looping for her more intricate vocal showcases from the album, but also works to strip the songs of their more glossed over details. Seeing her with a 4 piece band kicking out tracks like her single, Cameo Lover, give it a much more jazzy, motown sound that the electronic version from the album conveys, until that chorus kicks in. That chorus is straight motown no matter how you cut it. Dig her live version of Settle Down, track one off Vows.
