Codon - NODOC (2016)

       Ran across this beast of an album that..seemingly has appeared out of no where. A progressive rock and acoustic folky tinged feel litter the proceedings. Rounding out everything is some intense drumming chops. The songs are incredibly varied while still maintaining an identity all their own. If you are wondering the origin of this upon some further digging we find that this is the work of Cameron Lawrence. Who? Oh.. you know just the drummer for mega excellent Nova Scotia based Oceanic.  This is a different beast though for sure but very much in the vein of pushing progressive boundaries in unique ways.

Mushroom Death Suit

Have been listening to this acoustic folk math flecked gem for the last few days. It has held my ear strongly. Interesting vocals...atypical and all the better for it honestly.

Old Head - Stained Glass Stilts (2015)

Old Head? New Head? Heady Head?

Hmmm well it had been posted on our facebook page awhile back and i saw it sitting in the ever awesome math rock reddit community.. must be a sign I suppose.  

So where do we start? Its a methodical take on math for sure...dare i say...F O L K ...ish? I do like that it doesn't falls into clear tropes (incessant tapping ect) 

At least guitar wise I feel this throw back folk picking. As for the drums and bass well they are ramping it up off a cliff. Tasteful bass runs and some fun drum licks. At necessary times restrained when things get moody slow for your girl....or guy. Keyboard as well I've found when done correctly fleshes out even the most chaotic of math. I really enjoy this i guess is what im getting at. Solid mix inside and out of the head phones. Philly based, should make their way upstate way for sure.

Flower Coronet - Circumstances Revised (2013)

So I'd dare say this wouldn't fit anyone strict definition of math but the influences are pretty clear. 

What we have here is a one man project that is based in folk. The sauce starts getting spicy with the heavy introduction of a lot of odd timing, experimentation and some interesting vocal melodies. 

Its a recipe for some wonderful and unique music. Not to be missed

 

Hikes - Friends (2013)

Last time on the Swords....

My last words were based on my reaction to their song "Shepherds Clock" which I had some pretty strong feelings about :) Now we are have a full length to fully grasp what this Texas group is laying down.

What I enjoy about these guys (and gal) is that there is an incredibly honest mashing of folk/folk rock and math. To my own bias however I feel they do their best work when the math is out in force....and unfortunately thats not very often. But the great news is without the overt tapping and awesome drums this functions as a gorgeous folk rock record. The low points though are realistically minor because this is a very enjoyable first outing for these guys. "Trophy Lives" is another incredibly well balanced track just like the aforementioned song. Its incredibly admirable to see a band doing something left of center and succeeding at a high level.  Everyone is going to really take a liking to this and its a damn crime that more people aren't trumpeting their praises.

SO GOOD!

ps its free guys so really there's no excuses ;)

Friends

Picnics - See you in Sherwood (2012)

Beautiful dual acoustic folk that flirts with math style rhythms. Picnics is the kind of music that you can really get lost in. Really not much else to say other than if it sounds like your bag then hit it. Quality musics.
See you in sherwood_-_.Bandcamp_

One Lick Less - & we could be quiet

Been sitting on this duo for a bit. Not for lack of enjoyment but just for processing sake. This as a lot of my posts lately has some questionable math validity however traces do crop up. This two dude affair is a mix of moody post-rock, improv, indie rock and some folk rock style guitar riffs.  The BPM's on display here are more of the slow core variety however this should deter no one. Very clear old school 90's flavors as well.  Some vocals as well. Check er

onelickless

Rara Avis - III (2012)

I am a large sucker for acoustic guitars...I know I have possibly said this in other posts but I really mean that with all my heart. This here Rara Avis should be the night cap to every single day of your life. Acoustic guitar duo that melts down a bit of folk conventions with spanish guitar and yes some light little mathy turns.  It's just straight up gorgeous stuff. Spread it on your ears then spread it to those around you.

III (2012) 

Healthy Fears - The Dreaded Diamond (2011)

Piano Jazz Folk
Female Vox
Mathy Rhythms
Fairly Complex Drums

Walkin that line hard. Certainly more folk based but some pretty great stuff. bit of a change up. Anything up there sound neato? eh? well give it a shot. Can come across straight forward in places but hey I'm all about grabbing the cat on the limb, what? more coffee? yes please.

The Dreaded Diamond

Angels of Light - The Angels of Light Sing "Other People" / Akron/Family

After leaving the amazingly excellent and influential band "Swans" Michael Gira settled into his new project Angels of Light. That's when it happened.... the "settling".

The Settling - When an aging musician picks up an acoustic guitar and begins spinning intimate lyrical themes.

This as we all know can go one of two ways be incredibly mediocre or translate the musicians vision to a new genre perfectly.  In the case of Mr. Gira he pulls this off without nary a hitch. He even brings along his newly discovered hopefuls "Akron/Family" (A Brooklyn based "freak folk" group) to back him for his next album The Angels of Light Sing "Other People".  They themselves just released their first album which by all approximations was and still is a flipping great album. Let just not talk about anything after their split release it tends to get a little muddled after that.

Back to the whole point of this post. The Angels of Light song "My Sister Said".  Yea its a good album no doubt but this song is unimaginably gorgeous in every way. One of my favorite songs of all time.  I don't have many songs I would say that personally speak to me but this one rocks my very core. EVERYONE at some point in their life needs this song and I cant say that strongly enough.

The Angels of Light Sing "Other People"

Akron/Family (2005)

Akron/Family and Angels of Light Split

Borderline Syndrome - Promo

It appears we have something exciting and a bit left of the center here today and that leads us to Borderline Syndrome. A female fronted, Athens Greece 5 piece that clearly has no idea what they want musically and I for one couldn't be happier. Kinda pop rockish with some clear math rock (of the jazz variety) lovin but also not afraid to stomp the distortion pedal. If I am not mistaken there is some internalizing of greek folk music crammed in there as well which certainly gives it a flavor all its own. My one and only gripe is that its three songs....I could go for at least four times as many its really that worth it. So if your ready for a change of pace I would stop reading and go for it..

..no seriously stop reading.


PROMO
 

The Samuel Jackson Five - Goodbye Melody Mountain

I don't under normal circumstances gush about many groups. Ready yourself for a torrential down pour. The Samuel Jackson Five are a post rock band from Oslo Norway. As post-rock covers so much ground these gents use ingredients such as:  __________________________________________________________________________

Samuel Jackson Five Biscuits:

1 tsp folk
2 1/2 tbsp math-rock     (according to the back of the bisquick box)
stir in these two wet ingredients

1 cup jazz
2 1/2 cup prog-rock

preheat oven to 350 degrees. serves a family of 12
___________________________________________________________________________

They use a variety of instruments to accomplish their compositions without sounding like gimmicks in any way.  Structurally rich the songs are always moving along to some impressive resolution but even the way to get there is exciting. No player in this band sits back content to play boring troupes of the genre. The instrumentation is technical for post rock but oddly enough its hard to tell with so many awesome things going on. I have followed this group from their second release (which is just as good) but Melody Mountain synthesis's so well what they do. If you have never heard of them then your life is a sad sad sad place. Lucky for you they are here to rescue your sorry behind.

Goodbye Melody Mountain

The New Breed- Joanna Newsom 2004

Throughout my life, i have been a gigantic fan of fingerpick style guitar. I remember when i was just learning to play Blink 182 and Nirvana on guitar, Green Day came out with Good Riddance (Time of your Life), and in that song, combined with my taking lessons on a deeper learning of the handwork of guitar, i had found my song to learn to sing and play at the same time. That combination, of dexterity and memory of handskill, combined with adding your own simpler vocal melody on top of a mathematically tricky hand riff became a challenge i took on instantly in my musical work of middle school forward. Champions of this combo are many but few; i have only clung on to a select group that friends from music school recommended (kurt engelburt and tony carnicelli, thank you very much). I have viewed many others proficient in the work, but Doc Watson and Joanna Newsom were the two that have stuck to me most dearly.

I have shared Doc Watson before; his rendition of Deep River Blues is classic, oldschool fingerpicking vocal action. And whatta voice! But, for The New Breed Challenge, i bring up a lady who has gathered a lot of talk in the last few years. Joanna Newsom has now released 3 studio albums, each of which got infinitely more intricate in composition, but also arrangement and length; her 3rd album was more than two hours of music spread over 3 discs.

Her first album, The Milk-Eyed Mendor, introduced her in a very lovely way. She is a classically trained harp player, starting at a very young age i am sure and practicing complicated music. But Milk-Eyed Mendor begins with a lovely harp line playing a simple pop structured song, with only her lovely harp work and her quite unique voice. Her voice was a tipping point for a lot of people back in 2004, showing her to them and not sure how to expect their thoughts to range. Some ate her up, some heard her voice hit those first notes and began cringing.



The Sprout and The Bean is a good representation of both her skill and her weird abrasiveness; the video makes sure to let you get a good look at the crazy things she is doing with her hands while singing... truly incredible things... but then in comes that nasal super overdubbed chorus for the vocals, and people turn away. She straightened this out over her next albums, but there is still something classic to the first four tracks from Milk-Eyed Mendor. The rest of the album takes the harp away and adds some of her lovely piano work, and also drums and bass; but from a student in finger work, the harp added a challenge i was not aware of. The work that you can train the hand you use for your bass tones (my hand is left, and im a right handed picker), in a harp as opposed to a guitar, is much easier to add harmonic intricacy to. And she knows her stuff; not many harpists out there go playing covers of Beatles songs, theyre all doing classical-music instrumentals.

the milk eyed mendor

Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times

Many of you unfamiliar with this very excellent "metal" band may read my description of them and be completely put off, I know I was before I had heard them. The best way to say it is at the base of it all is metal, this is really only a frame work. Everything they do is also theatrical but not in the way that your watching show tunes but in that it kicks ass. Bundled with them are many progressive elements such as time changes, art rock style guitar chords and home made instruments.   When I saw them play two years ago one of the members was playing a "sledge hammer dulcimer" which was made by him, extremely impressive.They are one of the most engaging acts I have ever seen.  Not to mention one of the nicest bands I have ever talked to. They have many excellent releases but I am showcasing "In Glorious Times" because of its overly progressive tendencies and more abrasive nature.  I cant see many not being very into these guys (and gal :)

In Glorious Times

Bibio - Hand Cranked

Bibio's progression has surprised me with each new release. While I dont particularly agree with the direction, there is no doubt that this Brit is a highly talented individual. Older outings such as Hand Cranked displayed an almost eerie sense of melody, a universal nostalgia that is picked up on instantly. Looped and shifting acoustic guitar "folk" that sounds like it was recorded on someones cassette deck. Some might not be so receptive to the charm of this but those people need to fuck off.  I personally have never encountered solo acoustic music that has effected me emotionally this much.

Hand Cranked