Gaston - What Time Does Your Train Leave Today (2004)

As promised, I am upping this incredible post-rock group from Berlin called Gaston. Some deep jazz roots and an amazing compositional sense run through this album. The best part? The atmosphere that is built around each idea until it seemingly melts away, only to reform. A trait lacking in a lot groups that try to write ambient tunes from a math rock perspective.

What Time Does Your Train Leave Today

Do nascimiento - Do nascimiento (2011)

Confession time: I am a math rock hoarder.

It finally feels good to get that off my chest. So now that a team of trained individuals are twisting my arm, I am emptying my back catalog of tasty math from years past. First stop — Italy. 

Do Nascimiento are an impassioned bunch of gents with lots of high energy old school "emo-ness". A bit in the realm of that Philly sound but unhinged vocally (in a good way). Instrumentally you've heard this before, but it's honest work and they do try a couple different approaches here and there.

Quality stuff, but I do tend to like more creative juices dripping from this stuff.

(Bonus points for the pele nod)

Lost in the Riots - Kong (single 2013)

Who's happy to see Pumpkins out?!
THISGUY

Anyway, Lost in the Riots released a pretty accomplished full length earlier this year. Clearly not ones to rest on their laurels, we're being treated to a hot new single. This group of UK gents travel in the ancient art of instant post rock gratification by way of tasty math. I have to say the full length was missing a certain "spice"or other non specific word that could mean any number of things. How does the single fair? Well blow me down, we've got a winner. Tons of great moments exploding in just this track alone, so dive in or dine out. It's expensive to do that, so I suggest get to diving in and downloading.

Vernon Wayne - Jazzes (2013)

Greetings and salutations, friends, I am back with yet another installment of math that will keep your peepers peeled. Today I submit for your approval —Vernon Wayne, a group from Minneapolis. Vernon bring your math rock via an indie rock/metal bent with some well-crafted song structures and more than capable vocals. One of the more subtle elementals I've been enjoying about them is that their dual guitar attack is a bit indebted to classic metal sounds. It may not be clear, but it's to Vernon's favor that they are able to synthesize more than a few genre that they enjoy. In the process they have distilled a pretty tasty beverage, an artisanal root beer in my approximation. Highly suggest their previous release (Prints *2011) as well which ups the math and metallic tastes but lacks the refined song structures of Jazzes.

Control - Volition (2013)

One track featuring a UK based two-some... wait for it... bass and drums. While your brain is conjuring some blasty-aggro-shoddily-produced-mess this is leagues away. Control have a wonderful progressive backbone and move in and out pretty freely between mathy sections and post-metal yarn while always keeping a heavy hand on the melody button. These guys cover a disgusting amount of ground in six minutes and it's honestly over before you can bat an eye. Oh and that cover art of the boat? They play on it in their video, clutch biz.

El Hombre Trajeado - Shlap (2004)

Dialing back the clock a bit for y'all because it occurs to me that maybe people are not aware of these guys. There's a lot of focus placed (understandably so) on newer groups these days and it's important to gain perspective. Glasgow-based post-punk math rock group El Hombre Trajeado are an incredibly groovy and original sounding band who shut their doors in 2006. When I say original I mean that they certainly try some more left field stuff than a lot of groups these days. I highly suggest everyone grab all of their releases via bandcamp which they've made available to the public.

Soft Skills - A Future to Remember (2013)

SMACK — right in the ticker! Been waiting awhile to be taken at note one and here we are dear friends.

Soft Skills features two members of "Duck. Little Brother, Duck!" in yet another instance of the progeny being stronger and more focused than the progenitor. A couple of notable features running deep are awesome drums and a nice lighter indie math rock style. The icing for me though has to be the keyboard, a horribly underused instrument in this style featured front and center. Vocals? Yep, and they're pretty boss hog as well.

Stop reading and hit the linkage.

Alpha Male Tea Party - Real Ale and Model Rail: The Lonely Man's Guide to Not Committing Suicide (2013)

Been keeping a close eyeball on these guys for a bit now and had wondered when we would hear from them next. Well, here it is. This UK based group has opened themselves up a bit more to harder hitting guitars with certainly no shortage of chunktastic mathy turns. Track 3 "Go to the Ant, you sluggard" features some — dare I say — accessible vocals and is a standout single for sure.  Personally I would think men, woman, and children of all ages would find at least something here to really hold on to, but maybe I'm biased. Anyway it's in your best interest to take a peek because there are some really great moments going on.   

The Sad Pterodactyls (2013)

Math Rock Blue Grass? What will they think of next? Eh, I guess it's not too far off the map of tradition (swap out one guitar for banjo). While I do have some gripes with these guys, it's worth a mention for sure as they are poking their fingers out of the box a bit. The vocals? Wellllllll, they need a bit of work. Dude does fine when he's getting into it, but as far as just singing, maybe a bit more care need be taken. This doesn't detract from the overall vibe of enjoyment so not to worry.

Unsure if there really needs to be a tear drop on that pterodactyl. Guy already looks sad as hell.

P For Persia - Coral Canyon (2011)

2011 seems a bit dated than we are used to here, I realize — BUT! These UK spacey chip math indie noise beasts are releasing a split EP (Aegis Arctic Alp) tomorrow and as such you should all be on high alert (because it's awesome). Certainly check out Coral Canyon beforehand to get some fresh perspective before you dive headfirst into the EP tomorrow. It's some pretty scattershot music, but they do a great job of wrangling everything under one roof.

Second Greatest Dad Ever - Joy Ride (2013)

It's one thing to have two guitar players in your band and something else entirely to have two guitarists in your band that can play off one another while consistently tearing into awesome riffs. Math rock to be sure, but with that yearning quality that indie emo brings to the table (the vocals contribute greatly to that feeling). Like I'm always looking for, this has the mark of a band having lots of fun with their own material. Nice to see the Lone Star state being repped, as I don't really see too much like this from that southern realm. Excited to hear what a full length could bring from this four piece.

Stereo Type - Tokyo Blue (2012)

Incredibly solid Japanese instrumental post-rock math. What you can always count on with anything in this vein is that it's never boring. Awesome bass lines, intricate drumming, and memorable guitar lines. Regrettably I seemed to have glossed over this from last year... sad face. If it doesn't grab you immediately, stick with it — it has surprises buried just beneath the surface. You have my personal assurance as a man of the math.

SuperPK - Sweet Dreams

One track by newcomer SuperPK from the state of Pennsylvania.  Mega-chilled out guitars (nicely restrained tapping) with some hushed vocals. If you're looking for that razzle dazzle you may need to look elsewhere, but this has a solid honesty and rich vocal harmony I keep coming back to. Interested to see what else these guys may have up their sleeves.

The Most Americans, now only $3?!

I'm going to level with you right now: if you missed this perfect slice of  indie math throw back goodness then you truly owe it to yourself to snatch this up. It's on sale for a limited time for like 3 bucks, at least that's what some dead presidents whispered to me.

Also they've got a new video up on the youtubes for you to watch and enjoy, so yea there's that as well.

LORD - III (2013)

Improving by superhuman leaps and bounds between releases, Portland's LORD is proving themselves to be a heavy contender in the realm of math rock.

I'm finally getting a chance to sit with it and man it's a damn beast — monster riffs and fleet-limbed drumming for the main course, but that's not all. The key here is the composition, keeping things driving forward while not being afraid to revisit ideas that worked earlier in spots.

These guys have made some serious headway and in my estimation it's because some of the extraneous prog-flam-jam has been toned down a titch, resulting in a greater focus on the deadly metal-influenced riff work. And for those that are truly interested in a burner of a song, sink your fangs into the last track. (I want them as the soundtrack for the next Castlevania game, hope you're reading Konami scouts.)

All of Them Witches

    This is a long overdue post for me.  All of Them Witches are a duo hailing from Buffalo NY, which as it happens isn't too too far from my general living zone. Soundwise we are talking some tap-heavy guitar work that twists and turns, with complementary drumming that supports the guitars with just the right amount of technicality.
    
    Math duos are always tricky for me to evaluate, since a lot of progressive music banks on how busy or full a composition can be, so obviously fewer performers can be detrimental. That said, Witches have a few things in their flavor to avoid being stale. Compositionally, there's great flow between sections in each song, avoiding the stunted transitions that trap many similiar groups. Overall, their sound smacks of a minimal nature while still sounding incredibly full. That might not make much sense on paper, but give it a listen and maybe it'll hit you.
   
   I will be having the distinct pleasure of seeing them this Friday and have been looking forward to finally catching a show by them. Also looking forward to some possible new tunage? A boy can hope.

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All of Them Witches

8/10/13 Ithaca NY : Del Paxton, Vasudeva, Gulfer, Cattle Drums

It's difficult for me to put into words the feeling that you get by being constantly blown away by incredibly talented and passionate bands, ones seen before and anticipated; high-fives, hugs, jumping, and dancing were pouring out of the wood work in Ithaca last night.

Buffalo's very own Del Paxton (ex-Beach Parade) opened the proceedings with their precision take on 90's emo with some math rock flirtations. For them being such a new group you'd be hard pressed to tell at all. Great use of vocals and occasional harmonies, which I'm always a sucker for. While not normally my genre of choice, it's a testament to the excellent songwriting and powerfully inspired kit work of these lovely gentleman that have me excited for their bright future. (video from the show)

Vasudeva (NJ) — in some sort of mind reading tactic — played my FAVORITE song of their's off  2011's Roots of the Tree, "Back to the Feeding Ground". It honest-to-christmas-christ took me a full 45 seconds to recover after being blasted by such a lush and full sound in that wonderful basement. Huge amount of energy and tons of fun to watch. If you're not familiar, soundwise we're talking busy instrumental post-math with lots of glorious tapping. Wasn't super familiar with their new material, but just like their last release there are a large amount of  melodic leads and impossible tapping passages with powerful drums. (video from the show)

Hailing from Montreal came Gulfer, who have been on my radar since their split with the lovely Fago Sepia. Hugely excited to finally see them in action and there was no disappointment at all — faaaaar from it. Math rock at its finest to be frank. Tight turns were navigated deftly by bass and drums, while the guitar seemed split between clean strumming and knotty tap workouts. It's in the variety of their songwriting that I have always loved Gulfer. They show their strengths well, moving from jazz influence to indie rock to harder breakdowns, but always with a grounding sense that never brings you too far from them. It's technical for sure, but never makes you feel weighted down. (video from the show)

And lastly... Cattle Drums. Third time seeing them, and each and every time I am even more blown away than the last. It is no exaggeration: they are the band to beat in any genre right now. The level of emotional connection they bring is second to none. Why, you may be ask? Well, lyrically there is no comparison. Think spoken word stream of consciousness that is a mix of philosophical musings crossed with bathroom scrawlings that can be profound and anthemic in the same moment (sometimes tragically inane). While this is happening, guitarist Gulab Singh is laying down some of the rawest riffage I can think of in twenty-thirteen.  Stopping and starting when needed and holding on to an especially awesome lick for exactly the right amount of time, followed closely by relentlessly busy drumming. A mutant mix of dirty punk, metal, math rock and indie rock. Either aspect by itself would be more than enough for two bands but smashed into one is like watching the opposite of a train wreck. It was a burner of a set for sure. (video from the show)

A large thank you to my good friend Bubba from Ithaca Underground who was instrumental in this coming together as well.

The Speed of Sound in Seawater - First Contact (2013)

Alright, we've seen this pretty much everywhere by now, but as fans that have collected all their discography in physical CD form we feel it’s our obligation to at least say something about this.

             If you are familiar with Damien Verrett's work you probably realize that his storytelling skills are some of the best, and that is what really shines through here in this new LP. ("Speedwater" as we like to refer to them as) proves that they can set a mood and tone with their music and imagery that can put you into almost any setting. That said, for what it exceeds in lyrical content and story it pays in technicality. This is most likely the least technical out of all their work, an especially great step down from their previous release, "Underwater Tell Each Other Secrets". But, honestly, we can say that technicality won’t be missed too much here. You'll be way too wrapped up into the stories, catchy melodies, and trade-off vocals to care. We will say that this is much more leaning towards pop and we're unsure if we can really call it math in our sense of the word, but even so there is still a lot to fall in love with here. Whether it’s a quirky story about a man who wants to build a girlfriend, a boy with a childhood friend that’s a ghost, or a story about a young man and his shipmates scouting the high seas, there is something here for everyone.

"Written by your favorite math-rock review duo, Umbra and Jacuzzi"

Ditch Tiger - Old Growth (2013)

Dang Boise Idaho!

You guys are really bringing it hard this month. First with Fox Alive and now we have Ditch Tiger. This has the familiar feel of a lot of your favorite groups that play that earnest throwback emo with the great mathy guitars and angsty vocals. BUT — there always has to be a but — this comes at you like a tumbling boulder, way faster than any of those other namby pambies. (Is there such a thing as a "pamby" that isn't namby? - meta) Not too mention those drums are nothing to be joking around about either. The band fancies themselves "hardcore punk" and I suppose I could see in that spirit but beyond that not too much. Extremely cohesive stuff for sure and one that I'm sure will resonate with a lot of people. I know this album has very much captured my attention these days.

Slender Loris - World Tour (2013)

I have to say that I usually enjoy my lorises "slow", but after meeting this here Slender Loris my tune has changed. A three piece that employs speak/shout vox and some dirty punky guitars doesn't exactly smack of the math we love, but give this release a second and there is a lot to love, not too mention a couple twists. Jagged is the word I would use for these riffs for sure. In a lot of ways this reminds me of the fabulous No Means No and shoot, that's some high flying compliments. Early 90's vibes but not heavy to the point where I need a Crystal Pepsi. It took me a moment to grab hold of what these guys are doing, but thats my own fault truly and once you do I can promise that you'll be on board the ship.