Three piece Megason hail from Tel Aviv, Israel and offer a pretty interesting math blend that everyone should be able to appreciate.
At the core this is some balls to the wall metal level biz with some old school grunge.
Dirty Math?
From the metal stand point you can be positive that there are atomic level guitar riffs being layed out thick. Math heads shouldn't worry too much as the twists completed by the drum and bass should be enough to stop you from dancing in 4/4...at least for too long :)
Vox are pretty front and center also which tend to air on the side of 90's. Not a bad thing as the amount of old and new school flavors mix very well with each other.
Side note: I miss that guitar tone. anyone else with me on that?
Even 2 seconds in this hits you with a ten ton brink of awesome. O but then the vocals come in and the sweetness multiplies.
This is post-hardcore herky jerk jazz dripping with math rock instrumentation. Technical yet with a healthy groove and a surprising pop sense. I can't imagine anyone that frequents these here pages not to like this.
For the hours I put in combing the interwebs for interesting maths sometimes the best is delivered right to me. True Aristocrats is one such that right off the bat impresses with its inability to be pegged. Is it Mathy? very much so. Most importantly though are the many other complimentary sounds. Electronic elements, bits of noise and a general sense of experimentation rule roost here. Very much wish I ran into more groups that push themselves like this.
Its also worth saying that those drums are all of the map of awesome town.
Its in everyones best interest to at least give it a look.
I had never really known what to make of Daft Punk until recently. I was under the false impression that they had been around since the early 2000s, were maybe some kind of Moby or Fatboy Slim that I had never paid attention to, and that they had written that Harder Better Faster Stronger song. That was the extent of my knowledge, and then the other day the Internet provided me with an excellent looped gif/ music mashup of both Ron Swanson (from Parks and Recreation) drunk dancing to a sample of the 15 second teaser Daft Punk released of a new song. It is excellent. After going back to watch/ listen to it a few times, I started digging.
I ended up with their second album, Discovery. The first thing that surprised me in reading about the band was that not only do these two fools produce everything, but also play a majority of the instruments as well as sing (the often times heavily vocoded, choppy and robotic) vocals. When tracks like Digital Love and Something About Us came on, I was pleasantly surprised to hear verses and choruses as well as some pretty tasty harmonies. Most of those elements are lacking in the typical techno styles I was expecting to hear, and although a majority of the 14 songs on the album fall between the 3-5 minute mark, the album as a whole flows very naturally from track to track, as most good techno accomplishes with less tracks in longer durations. It is a satisfying listen, and more than anything I have found it to be some incredibly great spring time music.
I was also quite surprised to learn that the 2nd to last track, Face to Face, was not released as a single. It is definitely my favorite track on the album. Amazing production, great instrumentation, and really catchy vocals. Its been stuck in my head nonstop for days. Under the video for Face to Face, I also included their first album, 1997s Homework. Im just starting to listen, and although it is much more of a techno/ house album, its nice seeing how they evolved to the awesomeness of Discovery with tracks like Around the World. Bonus points go to the band for collaborating with an animation studio and director in turning their concept album into a full feature anime with the music serving as both narration and soundtrack. Blam:
homeworkdiscovery
Pjaro is a two piece with some heart and an impressive amount of chops to match. Mostly instrumental but with the occational addition of tasteful vocals. There is something very familiar about these guys but in a nostalgic way like how classic indie rock gets you. Each song is very much its own animal but while still keeping with their own flavor. From slow burners to some pretty technical speedier fare the more I listen the more I become hooked. This should be on everyones check out list. Well worth your time.
Montreal based Gulfer have landed a clean left hook to the jaw.
That is to say with last years split with fellow Canadians Fago. Sepia well behind them these five songs are not only stronger but more self assured. Vocals are gruffly sung in a charming way that will remind many of the better moments of your favorite indie emo group. Couple that with some incredibly nimble tapping and drum workouts and its a 5 star dish waiting for your face. Stand out tracks are "Tiki Marathon" and the closer "Shoreline". Heres my deal with last songs. If you can nail the closer, it brings everything before it back into focus. Gulfer pull it off. This release easily slides them in the realm of great current math groups. Also it looks like they have a pretty heavy summer tour planned with Vesudeva. See you then guys.
Talking With Planets / JardÃn de la Croix / 187 Steps to Cross the Universe (2013)
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This one's been a long time brewing, which meant I got to append this most ridiculous JardÃn de la Croix math-epic at the end because sheeeeeeeeeeeeit.
As always, if you missed the original posting of the albums these songs are from, either search our archives or simply click the damn name in the tracklisting and it will either take you to the post or the bandcamp.
Think a little old school mercury program with violin. But yes incredibly well structured post rock by way of mathy goodness. We Scare Coyotes are a five piece by way of Texas. What I am impressed the most with though is that we have:
1. A Demo
and
2. A LIVE Demo
and its just so good. Thankfully the violin isn't content to just sit back and solo but takes various rolls throughout a song.
Really appreciate the left turns that are thrown in by the guitars. Structured as mild mannered indie math but this is anything but. Some noise pop / shoegaze elements goes a long way in giving these guys a very unique sound. Its a hard road to travel for a lot of bands that try adding atmosphere to their cutting math rock. No Shoes pull this off really well without muddying their vision. Certainly a more creative breed is at work on this and for that gold stars all around. Highly interested in hearing more...much more.
Starts off pretty unassuming but give it a moment and trust that things just
get better and better. Incredible balance of electronic elements mixed with interesting post rock builds and the beating heart of math rock. Some genuinely unique sounds here along with some stellar percussion. A favorite of the moment actually.
Some pretty refreshing instrumental post-rock musics going down. Mathy? eh not as much as id like but certainly some smatterings here and there.
Boston group Sparhawks have a familiar sound sure, but that doesn't take away from the fact that songs always have an incredible honesty. Not only that but its a lot of fun. Throw in some pretty sensational drumming moments and varied guitar atmosphere and thats a recipe for some solid ass rock music.
Like I said this is familiar territory for a lot of groups....but to see this young group succeeding on all cylinders makes me that much more excited to see whats in store for the full length. Good Stuff.
Brooklyn Trio inside//outside just dropped their deput and I've gotta say
right out of the gates its a dazzler. Truthfully this owes much more to Jazz / Jazz Fusion than math rock however that should not deter anyone. Electronic and post - rock elements as well make themselves known. Highly recommend if your into excellent jazz that is interested in pushing some boundaries. Very atmospheric. Very tasty.
It enters the room like your best friend from 10 years ago, nary a step missed.
Of course with your favorite drink in hand.
Seriously insanely well developed alternative math pop. Is this popular? if not it should be on everyones watch list. A bit of a throw back to wonderful bands from math's more formative times during the 90's (Polvo, Archers of Loaf Ect.) but very much updated. Self assured vocals, dime drop turns @#$%RQTF!!
This Chicago group has some riffs to share. What kind? some post-metal for sure with
progressive rock structures and our very favorite math rock veneer over top. It makes for some really nice distorted instrumental rock with that right amount of attitude. I have to say that if a passages is moving a bit slow for ya just relax because these guys move through influences in the span of a song. Your always bound to come out on the other end with at least a couple awesome things. Will be very interested to see what they have in store next for our ears.
Hooting Everywhere is the work of one Devin Powers and as it states on the bandcamp
"Music written in the style of 90s indie emo."
So grease the gears on the time machine because this is going to take you back. Really well done obviously or we wouldn't all be here gathered around the ugh er interweb. Some mathy guitar's I would say though but if the words 90's or emo perked your ears then this is for you.
post-rock type builds going on here as far as layering but very much math rock oriented. The horns and strings that are featured really help flesh the sound out as well. No down time on this one all kinds of action.
