I've been sitting on this a bit because im a bit torn. In the span of a song there a many different ideas and rhythms. It ends up feeling a bit like idea's are thrown at the wall and what happens to stick..sticks. The more and more I take the time to listen though there is a lot of heart and that honestly is the deciding factor sometimes. The restless nature of the band does lend itself well to not being pegged to hard on any one area. off kilter art rock cozy's up nicely with post rock style math which in turn moves to some more straight forward rocknroll (though not often)
Have to say that the main riff in "Option Tank" gets stuck in my head A LOT. Its so deliciously angular yet anthemic.
Solid state four piece from sunny Florida. I say sunny because in upstate New York we are still in the throws of this death winter, such is life.
Pilgrimage melt genres like a 3 cheese pizza of deliciousness. Structure wise and pacing goes to post-rock. math rock and post hardcore sensibilities round this beauty out. Not overly technical but certainly no slouching here and theres a fair bit of twists and turns to keep your brain alert for predators. Vocals make their presence known and are generally powerful and add a powerful dynamic to the proceedings.
The influences on the shoulder are many but its clearly well loved and cared for by these gentlemen. Worth a gander to be sure.
Perhaps the most shining example of modern math-pop. A.M. Overcast has been a beacon of perfection throughout the years. I say its about damn time Alexander Litinsky gets some solid Cred from the community. This is an (albeit short) but great introduction to his brand of off kilter pop mayhem.
I would say Shepherd Moon is a little more ambitious but "Pellow" certainly has a more pop centered goal..and thats perfectly fine.
Realistically though if you've never heard then your missing out and should seek out any and all.
There is just something so beautiful to me about the mix of post-hardcore with math rock. Consider adding in the mix some POP hooks and strong vocals...and...well you've got a group ready for just about anything.
Couteaux seem perfectly at home melting these riff heavy gems around a metal and post rock center. But talk is talk folks and the proof is certainly in this pudding. If its sounding great to you on paper I can assure you that you wont be let down by these guys in the least.
some of the busiest fracking post rock I have heard in a good looooong time. the math is tasteful and goes down smooth. Minor gripe? maybe mixed a bit to high. but everything sounds as it should. does not take away the hidden treasures buried in these songs. Great memorable guitar lines abound. I know nothing of these cats if any one does drop me a line. I am hella impressed.
Jesus christmas cracker those are some lush sounding guitars ma'right? Loving the boot staring elements that are sprinkled on this here album as well. Immediate things aside this is some pretty calculated math rock. Piles and Piles do a fine job of not only bringing the instrumental biz but the vocals are honestly a great addition. Tempo's here are medium to slow and thats more than fine..again back to the shoe gazing. Get this clear though these song weren't crafted in zero gravity they all move along at a fair clip and remain interesting. Nice to see something a little left of center getting its due's.
There are moments that you hang to in complete anticipation. The wait of what will be...or not. This was that album for me.
After their first album Renaissance Sound had left me with the hope of the future. Their self-titled really struck a chord with me about the boundaries of truly what math rock could be. To me..it was something that I had been waiting to run into through my years of searching. A group that could take jazz structures and heart but could still infuse that with the energy and sensibilities of math rock.
Which brings us to the second release, II. While I didn't expect ground breaking progression there are areas where I can safely say this improves upon the formula they've laid. It is clearly apparent that this group has only become tighter this time around. Compositions are practically teaming with twists and turns. While their first effort was a bit more relaxed this is a Renaissance Sound completely restless with creativity. Speed is certainly one of the areas that has been ramped up considerably. Instrumentally everyone has brought their A game (shocker) but im going to go out on a limb and say MVP for this one is the bassist. Ridiculous Ridiculous run's are everywhere on this beast. As well to say that some of the more memorable moments come from his melodic phrasing.
Enough analyzing really...because this is a solid gold hit right here. Its going to be a difficult one to unseat for me this year, just like last year. I'm relieved that they have taken their proven methods, expanded upon them and given us an incredibly dense jazz math rock record for our first quarter of 2013.
The moons apparently have aligned for this incredible band to exist. A distillation of every exciting math rock moment you've heard jammed into a three minute song. Blinding fast turns and some ridiculous instrumentation all over this mother.
Eat The Sun are a four piece from Colorado. The closest approximation of sound to another band would be the legendary You Slut!
Reason being? well both never rest on their laurels for long and there is a clear understanding of what makes a "memorable" guitar line.
Points of departure? even 3 seconds in its very clear ETS have a sick knowledge of their instruments...meaning in a dual these cats would be hill topped especially those drums.
These guys are a lot of fun though really and honest to god your going to enjoy every blind twist they through in for you. I am finding it difficult to stop listening so that certainly means all of you fine folks out there sincerely need this in your lives.
SO This is Exploding is and has not been a band for awhile. They had one release before this that could be categorized as some pretty fun high energy power pop rock. Moving forward this set of song's which would have been the groups 2nd album was discovered by the singer years later and let loose. It is definitely on the more math pop side of life and for that it has fallen into my fortunate ears.
Item number 2 of interest is that 2/3rd's of this group went on to form the power bass death group known as Megachurch.
Item number three is that this is incredibly profressional well crafted pop rock with math rock rhythms ands some pretty fantastic vocals. Jump on this is typical fashion.
Let me start by saying that Art rock is sadly not represented enough in math rock these days.
An Anderson perfectly bridge discordant guitars and post-punk sensibilities into the herky jerk rhythms we crave.
The point of failure in most art rock is cranking the guitar knob to "annoyingly abrasive".
An Anderson balance some pretty inspired riffage with pop undertones to avoid this problem altogether. The post-punk vibe going on always lends itself well to labyrinthine structures and so ends the other piece to this pretty incredible pie.
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)
///
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.
