Salt Cathedral - Salt Cathedral (2013)

Whoa from the first few moments you're going to have the fish hook lodged deep. Busy post-rock electro pop with some really juicy math tendencies AND sensational female vocals. Its a recipe for digging deep into this rich dish. Its always at the right amount of restraint and never plays into any one area more than another. The guitars are always playing some crazy little background licks while the drums dance around while the  forks down the movement with the angelic singing. I'm just being blown apart by this Brooklyn group while their music is re-assembling me. TOP PICK AHOY!

SALT CATHEDRAL (2013)

Shipley Hollow - Costa Concordia EP (2013)

First off an apology as I dont get the chance to update the blog as much as I would like. My personal and professional life doesn't permit me to put as much focus on the blog as I would like. Also have to say lately a lot of what im hearing is pretty stagnant math. Exception's include a lot of recent local upstate NY stuff that ive been seeing as well as our insanely creative northern brothers in Canada (Montreal and Toronto particularly)

With that said, Shipley Hollow from Toronto have recently grabbed my attention and while previous items haven't really hit me across the nose I'd say they firmly planted one with their EP from October last year. A live recording can be a burden to some but it helps elevate these tunes to an intensely emotional level. Its the kind of math for drives at dusk, just busy enough to hold you close. Vocals (loving that spoken word piece) and the additional keys are a nice atmospheric touch that help set these guys apart from the herd.  More than anything (I always say) There needs to be that emotional connection like the group is invested in their music. There is much more going on here than memorizing transition's and time signature cue's. Would love to see these guys down my way lot's of high energy, great guitar interplay and spritely drums. 

SHIPLEY

2/13 Cayuga Lodge Ithaca NY (LIVE SHOW) Elos Arma, Jr. Bob, Yakbak, Quirky Love Interest

Hey friends just a few words on this very excellent show I attended a few nights ago. Some extremely intriguing things for me for every single band on this bill....not to mention the snow storm..

Yakbak (math-punk) were up first and honestly after seeing them a few times now and with a new EP just released that morning, they are in my mind a force of sheer death (thats a positive).  Not to discount the able bass work but drummer Gabe and guitarist Mr. Pillardy (both from PoS favorite Mouth to Mouth to Mouth) have formed an unstoppable unit of rock that is as immediate and in your face as any punk band yet with the complexity of solving 40 rubik's cubes under water. I was blown away to say the least. (also swear to god there was a fall of troy esque post hardcore break down somewhere in there that almost stole my soul)

Quirky Love Interest (math rock) next up was a group that I've been anxious to see for awhile now and they did not disappoint in the least. Lots of variations for the style which is what I enjoy about them and certainly a heavy metal aspect that takes a back seat to a lot of the math elements but is surely informed.  Worth mentioning also it takes a bit for me to really enjoy double bass drumming but Mike tastefully sprinkles it around his kit work and its a solid win. High energy.

Oddly enough the two wild cards for me were a group I was pretty positive I wasnt all about Jr. Bob and one I wasn't familiar with Elos Arma. Boy did I form some new opinions. Both groups from Canada brought their A games. Both share drummers but couldn't be further from each other even being under the blanket of math. Junior are heavy jazz heads with some of the most intricate fret work on a guitar i've ever seen. Extremely tasteful yet dynamic playing just a straight pleasure to witness. Elos cant seem to completely make up their mind of exactly what their bringing to dinner. Math with twinkly indie rock and poppy vocals seems to be the best determination I could muster and its pretty joyous in person.

Really a wonderful night and surprising turn out for everyone in the Cayuga Lodge Catacombs

Sleep For The Nightlife - Minimalist Cities (2014)

This was one of my most anticipated albums of 2014. After seeing them a few years ago I was not fully ready for what this 4 man Toronto based group was about to bring.  I am not alone in this anxious feeling either, but I feel it imperative to bring these guys the attention in the community they richly deserve.

Ambient in the way atmosphere is set and mathy in a restrained and respectful manner. Instrumental pieces that are smartly constructed with no extra relationship baggage. This is real deal total investment Math-tastic Post-Rock.

These cats never leave you hanging and if they are laying down a riff that warrants it, they stick around so you can soak up the joy. If you want to talk math rock brass than technically speaking you've got the twists you desperately crave.  The hooks for me however lie in the relationship of the expertly laid melodies and the brain melting kit work. There are so many moments on this record that literally give me goosebumps its like RL Stine was sitting behind me the entire time....that was bad apologies. The back half of "Underwater Panthers"? forget about it, ridiculous tension and release tactics that are almost too clever.

Are we talking wheel reinvention? nah. but you'll never concern yourselves with such trifles because this is a distillation of Ghosts and Vodka type activity of the highest order and dare I say with some more impressive song variation.  You are a fool if you don't surrender your ears this instant to this the first masterwork of 2014.

Can I say again that these drums are just nasty?
Jesus Christmas

SLEEP FOR THE NIGHTLIFE

Tell them via facebook how much they own the streets

Planets Live in Houses - self-titled EP

You may remember these guys from sometime back in November last year, when they teased us with a sampler of their upcoming EP slated to drop January 25th 2014. If so, it is most likely then with little wonder as to why I'm posting this today of all days. Indeed, today is the day that their self-titled EP finally drops. This EP includes the two songs we heard off the sampler with three other tracks and a mini track thats six seconds long, appropriately named "Never Meant".

When I first listened to PLIH back in November, immediately what stuck out to me was the drumming, and that's definitely still the case here. The grooves seem to be what really drive the band for me. Its a prominent consistency that is evident throughout the whole EP. However, that's not to say that the guitar is uninspired. On the contrary, the EP is loaded with catchy melodies played by both the guitar and synth that seem to stick with you even after you've stopped listening. That said, PLIH is first and foremost a Post-Rock Progressive band, (with a dash of Atmospheric Ambiance.) There is plenty of "rise and fall" moments throughout the EP, which is evident through the crescendos and the constant change ups in the drums. As for the guitar, it often alternates between clean and distortion, the clean parts being mellow and a fluid and the distortion helping to drive the progressive feel. Everything fits together perfectly and is as it should be.

If I had to pick a song that really sticks out to me on this EP it would be "Bare Claws". Which seems to be the only track accompanied by a sax. The song captures the Atmospheric Ambiance I mentioned earlier perfectly. This is because of a combination of synth, the reverb, and the fluidity of the guitar. Now, if that was good enough, lets top it with a soaring sax layered over everything. Now we're in business.

After a few listens to the EP, I'm really in love with it, and excited to see where Planets Live in Houses take their sound in the future.You can purchase it here:
Planets Live In Houses

Enjoy!

Luo - In the Dark

First of all let me be the first to say "Thank you and welcome back Computer Jones" our frequent poster from across the pond. We have been missing your mathalogical insight's hehe.

Second off my my my I have to say its been a hot minute since a song/video has moved me as much as this one by Luo. This is a full band version of what is essentially experimental producer Josh Trinnaman who has released some incredibly solid glitch, hop, math, jazz blender love.  This live version gives it a certain post rock feel and ups the emotion to a power level of over 9000! truly you must check this out even just for those skillfully wielded drums.

Luo - In the Dark (Live Session) (SWEET FANCY ITS GOOD)

Luo Bandcamp

Facebook

Self-Evident - We Built a Fortress on Short Notice (2012)

GREAT follow-up album to their 2009 release 'Endings'. how it wasnt posted before i don't know!? 

LISTEN

DOWNLOAD

The Samuel Jackson Five (2013)

SJ5 released 2 small EP's last year. The very festive "Mid-Fi Winter Wonderland EP" was released December 2012/January 2013 and "Seasides & Elsewhere" was released at the start of December 2013. Enjoy!

Mid-Fi Winter Wonderland EP
LISTEN

Seasides & Elsewhere
LISTEN

Sleeping People - NOTRUF 12" EP (2013)

The legends that are....Sleeping People! this is their 12" EP released the later half of last year. hope y'all enjoy it...completely forgot to post this when it orginially came out.

LISTEN
DOWNLOAD

Vintage Math Rock: Boston 1990's - early 2000's

First of all this article is a sort of a lead in to an article that will be up soon but also a continuation of this "Math Rock Mystery" in it we sort of unearthed a forgotten group from the Boston area called "Pizza". In the following I will be covering a great web of artists that are all interconnected with this group..follow me.
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PIZZA
active 1999 - 2001
Members included:
Dan McCarthy (drums)
Justin Joyce (Guitar)
Fin Moore (guitar)
Scott Buoncristiano (bass)

So for the sake of the article we are going to start with these guys (ps click the band name for a link to a video or in this case the album download...hosted by the way by the groups drummer) Any who I've been in contact with Fin from the group who had this to say about the groups formative beginings.

"The early songs were written acoustically by Moore( Diamond Nights, Robots) and Joyce while standing on the coffee table at 40 Gordon st. Allston ma.(the painted lady) from late summer to the end of fall of 1999 at which point it was decided to introduce an electric sound. McCarthy(Helms, Dagobah, Challenger) filled the position on drums while Scott B (Challenger, Intendo) bused up once a week from cap cod to operate the bass."

"Scott and Justin came up with the name pizza i think because it was sharp, catchy and had humor attached to it. The band was very short lived, it seemed like the second it took off and people gained interest it lost fuel and deteriorated."

Fin Moore

Hmm so in other words it looks as though there are a few other groups mentioned here lets dig a little deeper...

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DAGOBAH

active: mid 1990's

Members Included:

Paul Joyce (bass, vocals)
John McWilliams (guitar, vocals)
Dan McCarthy (drums)

Killer group that has a sort of updated Rodan/Slint feel with the speed and calculations of math rock. With a little digging you can find several albums from this three piece. It's worth noting also a familiar last name up there...yep Joyce. Paul is Justin Joyce's (Pizza) brother.

ripping it up live...  

something remarkable about this is its just Dan and Paul playing...

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HELMS

active 1997

Members Included:

Tina McCarthy BASS(maiden name Helms..) husband of....
Sean McCarthy (guitar/vocals)

Dan McCarthy (drums).

So basically as Dagobah was ending for Dan, Tina and Sean's band had lost there drummer thus the three formed Helms. A much more mellow group than the previous...think hypnotic post-rock, great drums and spoken word. 

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  Challenger 
 active 1997-1998
 Members Include:
 Dan McCarthy (drums)
 Scott Buoncristiano (bass)
 Paul Joyce (guitar)

So by now your begining to see the trend I'm getting at all of these bands feature Dan on drums and its easy to see that he is an incredibly versatile drummer with some varying styles being repped. Challenger is my favorite of the bunch for a few reasons. One, this albums feels just as urgent and fresh as anything today except it was written in 1997. Now you go find me some math from that time and compare..theres honest to god not much that can compare. granted this was re-mastered which could have helped in this but these songs are incredible. Here we see Paul stepping away from bass and front and center.

Also worth noting is Paul Joyce was also the bassist in the seminal math rock group Lynx with now Battles axe slinger Dave Konopka. Hows this? well Lynx was very much a Boston group before they packed their bags and moved to the Chicago area. 

Hope you fine folks enjoyed the history lesson and found some new groups to look into from the past. Thanks as well to Fin Moore for reaching out and giving me some perspective on his role with Pizza.

Next up?
My mini- interview with Scott Buoncristiano:
 

"Pizza vs Don Caballero".....?!?!

 

Stay Tuned :)

 

Axes (2013)

Their debut album released 15 April 2013. i missed this when it came out but im glad i chased it up. Also, some great Beatcast.tv sessions:

BANDCAMP

Ghosts of Sailors at Sea - The Skeleton Coast (2013)

We've got a few PoS members from the Boston area so its not uncommon for us to cover music from the area more so than others. Im usually last to the party but lately I've been tirelessly researching 90's math rock based in Boston for a doozy of a post coming up and I ran across a current group I am highly enjoying.  

Ghosts of Sailors at Sea are like a torrent of instrumental math but never too off the wall. What hits me right off the bat is those dual guitars laying down some incredibly tight riffs. Its certainly rocking all the way through and never lets up not even for a moment. Transitions? seemless. Now thats the mark of a truly great math rock group.

Ghosts of Sailors at Sea

1/5/14 Ithaca NY (The Haunt) Moonstriker, The Changing Light, MTMTM, Yakbak, Alberto Alaska

Hey guys first great show of 2014 alert and its a doozie. Five groups that all run the range from math to punk to psych rock to post hardcore BUT all sharing the common ground of progressive flair. Sadly I can not make it out However that shouldn't stop anyone in the NY, PA or Jersey area's to pop in for this. Its at the always excellent Haunt as well too so plenty of room. click below to get a taste sensation of each group.

MoonStriker (PA) (prog space rock)

The Changing Light (PA) (prog psych post hardcore)

Alberto Alaska (NY) (alt post rock)


MTMTM (NY) (math rock)

Yakbak (NY) (math punkers)

JETPACK - S/T - 1999

This fall, I started playing with a few dudes from Sick Electric (Haywire is one of my favorite albums).  They’ve been around playing music for a little longer than I have.  Jimmy (the guitarist/vocalist) knows I’m pretty deep into the maths, and he dropped a major nugget on me:  Jetpack’s one and only full-length album, released in 1999. 

“Who is Jetpack?”, you may ask.  Jetpack is Keith Souza’s band from the late ‘90s.  “OK, but who is Keith Souza?” 

Well:  have you heard Battles’s Mirrored?  Fang Island’s Fang Island?  The Body?  The Psychic Paramount?  Lightning Bolt?  Neptune?  Daughters?  Tyondai Braxton’s Central Market?  Six Finger Satellite?  The Chinese Stars?  Yeah.  Keith Souza recorded all of those at his studio, Machines with Magnets. 

“Well that’s all well and good, but what does the thing actually sound like?”  You’re pretty insistent with the questions there, chief.  But trust me, the thing sounds fucking awesome.  Angular riffs.  Fuzz bass.  Strained vocal harmonies.  Weird songs.  Snaky grooves.  You’re gonna want to listen to this thing over and over and over and over and over. 

Jetpack has no internet presence whatsoever, and it seems like the only way to get this sweet, sweet album is through your good friends at Plenty of Swords!

So get to it, already! 

Doom Salad - Whats for Dunch? (2013)

DOOM SALAD is like some sort of throw back prog with some heavy synthage. but twisty enough to satiate all the adoring math rockers. Not completely sold BUT they certainly have a sound of their own and for that props is due.

Vaya - (pre-release) 2013

Chicago math pop by way of indie rock. The windy city seems like a hot bed for progressive fair these days. Vaya instrumentally seems like they are pushing that pop to its very limit at all times. really technical work for sure. Its an odd yet enjoyable pairing to have almost lounge like singing (think a more capable David Longstreth from Dirty Projectors) with this great math back drop. This for sure will be a release to watch as the riffs are surely insteresting enough to hold your attention and pretty memorable to boot.

VAYA

mOck - Components EP (2013)

Berlin based group mOck have one new song on display for us from their new EP. If you're not familiar these guys are a mixture of post-rock, intricate math rock and certainly some Jazz. Its all blended incredibly well without any chinks in the armor. This is a three piece that no one should be missing out on for sure.

mOck

Chapter Books - Pep Talks (2013)

Fellow new yorkers Chapter Books have laid down a pretty enjoyable first effort. Its got a lot of that excellent harder edged emo revival going on but of course its always in the differences that I tend to latch to. The guitars here have a clear attachment to math rock and it injects even more soul into this project. Add a varied vocals approach with some punk energy and you have yourself an incredibly self assured album for a new group. Each song has its own identity that has me wondering what a new release will bring with some time. More of this please?

chptrbks

Year in Review (Part 2) Return of Jafar

Del Paxton - Worst. Summer. Ever.
There was an evolution of my love for this record. It started with initial listens of the first few songs, followed by seeing them live, then the album finished. Interest turned to like transformed to love. This is honest work, alt-emo of the highest order. You can sing along while your shaking your rump and that to me is a hard thing to achieve. all of this while still be impressed by the songwriting chops. I can safely say that bigger and better things are destined for these boys and hopefully more people start taking notice.


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Inside//Outside - Self Titled
This album is many many many wonderful styles gleefully crammed into the body of a  jazz fusion monster. A round of applause because they make this horribly complex music sound like a gorgeous sunday stroll. A true sign for me when an album has so infiltrated my life is when months later it has seeped into my office playlist. It operates as background music when asked or second by second torn apart with intent listening ears. Calming and disorienting within moments. Its in these opposites playing off one another there is built a singular release. I need more of this, please.

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A.M. Overcast - Pellow
Alexander Litinsky lords over the realm of math pop like a restless king. I challenge anyone to find music this year that is so sugar sweet yet has disgustingly sharp corners and mathy tight turns. Its just a whole lot of fun....and whats fun without a large amount of handclaps? Trademark boy girl vocals add to the brew as well Alex's expert kit work. Makes a man want to cuddle up with a pellow.




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Viridians - (sp) arrows EP
From the first few notes I was hooked to the tune of 23 listens in the first night I stumbled on this album. It hasn't left my side since. Why? Its gotta be those vocals man, including those stunning harmonies and thats not a trait most post hardcore math rock can boast for sure. However, the instrumental portion is so on step that it just clicks with something deep within my soul.  Thats the largest compliment I can pull out really so if you haven't educated yourself on this then redemption is only a click away.

2013....a year in review...(PART 1)

Here is the first installment of my round up for the year. These are by no means an "ordered list of my favorite albums from 2013" like you will see elsewhere..... However these are releases that have had real staying power for me through the year. More to come soon.

Our Daily Fix - Tour Singles 
The fix is in... (North of America reference anyone?) but seriously ODF has a formula that should be the envy of any band going. High energy fun with loads of jazz love, great math twists and cohesive songwriting chops. does it help that their sax player rips? yes possibly. Tour Singles has been a go to for myself this year and after having seen them for the second time it has only made my feeling's all the more fond.
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Piles and Piles - Premonitions Say
Boston based Piles maybe a fresh faced group but that certainly didn't stop them from landing a 747 on the head of pin. By that I mean their first effort is absolutely brimming with great ideas executed well and doesn't dwell on any one for too long. I can easily see their next release being an even greater barn torcher because of this, mark my words. Also the under lying shoegaze element these gents pass around cloaks these already great songs with some pizazz. Add in some more than capable vocals and an ability to launch from gauzy to full bore rock at a moments notice and you've got a top contender for my heart in 2013.

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Toasted Plastic - June Highs
Jersey band number 2? better check the water. Toasted win the award for melding that punk rock sound/energy into impossibly delightful pop delights while still careening around the landscape like a drunken master. That would be enough for me but couple that with some insanely catchy vocals both sung and screamed and its a recipe for me loving the junk out of this release. Somehow sounding like a throwback to the golden years of math rock in the 90's while still smelling so fresh and so clean clean. A must on my list for bands to see in 2014.


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Gulfer - Transcendals
What can I say about Montreal's Gulfer that hasn't already been said by myself this year? An impossible understanding of rhythm displayed and juxtaposing that in their song writing. Everyone in this group is firing perfectly. Carrying the delicate melodies to music that realistically shouldn't sound this gorgeous is no easy feat. Oh? whats this? another member and a new song? and its somehow better?
yes, yes it is.
Get used to this name because 2014 will be the year of the Gulfer

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