Bastos / Pandrea – Split

September 24, 2014 • Fading Halo Records

This is a quick split single from two Romanian bands—a country I almost never hear anything from, so it's pretty neat to get a hold of this.

Bastos plays mostly-instrumental math rock that's a bit on the heavier side, like a tamer 65daysofstatic without the electronics. Pandrea is similar, but a bit more grungy-alt-rock with this odd jaunty sort of very-Eastern-European vibe going on under the hood. It's a nice pairing, although I have to say personally Bastos is the more appealing band to me—they both have their charms, though.

Without substantial vocals, there's a bit of a lacking feeling on these tracks. They're definitely off to a great start, but I think to truly come into their own there's a bit more fleshing-out to be done. I won't say adding vocals is definitely the way to go, however.

Either way, this is definitely a neat little split with two bands that are worth checking out.

SRVVLST – "Thoughts"

December 25, 2013 • Major Bear Records

I first heard of this band when I saw them play at a great show back in July. I'm happy to see the band gaining some traction and are set to put out their new EP The Seven Year Inch in April 2014, although the first track is already available to stream on Bandcamp. As with their earlier stuff, "Thoughts" doesn't step too far out of the emo / indie-rock framework, but it still has that prog-ish flair SRVVLST likes to inject into their songs—lots of changing up time signatures and tempos and a very dynamic sound (from the quiet second verse, to the skittery, heavy riff of the song's climax, to the tense cresecendo and neat drum groove at the end). Maybe nothing game-changing for emo revival just yet, but I guess we'll see in April when the EP drops.

SRVVLST, Peace Be Still, Maumelle, Prize the Doubt

July 5, 2013 • The Summit, Columbus, Ohio

It was a bit weird to learn that The Summit is actually distinct from Café Bourbon St.—two equally tiny, grimy bars sharing the same building. Can't say it's not good for an emo show, though. While this was probably the lowest-attended show I've been to yet (top five, at least), I gotta say it was a pretty good time.

Prize the Doubt

These guys were really interesting for sure. It was a weird combination of dissonant screamo and hard-as-shit metalcore, with the occasional grindcore and post-rock segue thrown in. I thought they were too weird to enjoy at first, but they really grew on me during their set. Performance was middling, but the music was very neat. Worth seeing.
7 • Best Power Stances Award

Maumelle

I've got conflicting opinions on Maumelle. First off, the music is awesome—kind of typical midwest emo, with the stereotypical twinkly guitar (albeit very well-done, some really great licks) and excellent songwriting. The vocals seemed really out-of-place though, nothing but full-on screams the whole time; it was a weird juxtaposition that didn't make a lot of sense to me. It didn't bother me enough to not enjoy the hell out of the band, though.
7 • Best Mullet Award (aka Worst Mullet Award)

Peace Be Still

Even though Peace Be Still had probably the most generic sound of all the bands that played, they were still quite good in their own way. Horrible vocals, but in the satisfying emo way; well-played guitar and drums; above-average bass grooving (probably one of the better parts of their sound). I could have done without the between-song "stories" or whatever. Still, good stuff.
7 • Most Frequent Unnecessary Tuning Award

SRVVLST

These guys had a much more math-rock oriented sound, kind of like an emo Battles, with a similar focus on instrumentals instead of vocals. Lots of 5/8 time and things like that, which was a nice change of pace. The complexity made for a slightly sloppy performance, though, but I guess that is understandable. I did really enjoy how for their last song, they invited everyone up on stage (maybe a dozen of us) to watch. It was a very cool experience, definitely they show's highlight; made everything seem a lot more special. Recommended.
7 • Best Fingertapping Award

The Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship, Ease the Medic, The End of the Ocean

April 17, 2013 • Kobo Live, Columbus, Ohio

Just another Columbus rock show, nothing terribly spectacular. Although The Appleseed Cast is apparently a much more popular band than I was aware of. Not that that's a bad thing, but there's little to be said for an overcrowded, tiny venue like Kobo was. Still an enjoyable show, I suppose.

The End of the Ocean

A local post-rock band, the sort of emotive crescendocore in the vein of Explosions in the Sky with more compelling songwriting, better riffs, and a slightly heavier feel. One of those sets where nobody else in the audience really seemed to care (they were all asleep most of the whole show anyway), but I quite enjoyed them. Lots of energy for this sort of band, and fun to watch even for an instrumental band.
8 • Tiniest Keyboard Award (Although This Moment in Black History's Might Have Been Smaller, It's Hard to Say)

Ease the Medic

Another local band, this time with a more emo-meets-post-hardcore sound, a bit like Brand New with a poppy and emotive edge. While their songwriting and riffs were a bit generic, leaving not a whole lot to say about them, they definitely weren't bad. Outstanding bass work, as well, especially considering it was the bassist's first show with the band.
6 • I Honestly Can't Think of Any Single Award

Muscle Worship

I quite liked this act as well; they have a sound reminiscent of Bear vs. Shark (apparently I can only come up with comparisons to describe this whole show) with more of a garage rock/math rock feel to it. (As I'll never see BvS live, this is probably as good as I'll get.) Special props to the drummer, who was especially talented and had a really neat complex style. At this point, the show started to get too loud to the point where things were sounding muddy (especially the bass)—not sure if that was Kobo's fault or what—so I didn't enjoy them quite as much as I should have. Still a good set, though.
7 • Best Use of Pedal Loops Award

The Appleseed Cast

Apparently it's been a while since I listened to this band, because I definitely don't remember them being so much post-rock and so little midwest-emo. Not that they're bad, but there were definitely some bits that dragged on and on, especially the instrumental pieces (then again, I was really tired by this point). The older tracks (e.g. the encore ones that everyone seemed to know) definitely performed better live. Still, a pretty neat show; their music is obviously still quite nice. Clip (warning: shitty vertical video—I saw the person filming this, too, she obviously had no idea what she was doing)
7 • Most Useless Keyboard That They Only Used on Half of One Song Award

Dios Trio – High on Bikes

September 20, 2011 • Well Weapon Records

Have I made it abundantly clear yet how great Bandcamp is? Better yet, Bandcamp recommendation threads? Anyway, someone threw Dios Trio out there—it's not often that I instantly love an album upon first listen (though that seems to be happening more often lately), but I was instantly taken with this one.

Of course it helps that High on Bikes was already right up my alley; it could be described as a simple fusion of indie emo's jangly clean guitars and slight punk aesthetic with the rhythmic complexity and occasional aggression of math rock, accomplished with some incredibly beautiful riffs and melodies. It imparts a sense of juvenile innocence and nostalgic happiness that I love in this kind of music (really, how can anyone not feel joy in the beginning of the title track?). Even the "Fast Car" cover, which may seem bizarre at first, fits perfectly in my mind as I've always secretly liked that song and it takes me back a bit.

The songwriting itself is a bit hyperactive, jumping from section to section rather haphazardly without much thought for structure, but then again I don't think the music really suffers for it, especially seeing as there are almost no vocals (and what vocals are present act as just another instrument). The composition style makes the music always have a sense of drive and movement, making the album's forty-minute runtime blink by. It feels half as short as it is, not that that's a bad thing. (It might also help that the music is awfully fast most of the time, almost impressively so.)

I don't know how appealing Dios Trio might be to the general crowd, but High on Bikes was an instant hit for me. The band doesn't seem to have been terribly active since its release—just a single last July—but I hope they get off their bikes and put something new out soon. Not that I'm dissatisfied with this album, of course!

8

Three Trapped Tigers – EP2

August 17, 2009 • Blood & Biscuits

This band was hyped on Rate Your Music so briefly that I almost missed them. I'm glad they managed not to fly under my radar, because they're pretty dang good, with a really unique and interesting sound.

Three Trapped Tigers create a sort of post-rock / math rock fusion, like a collaboration between Battles, Holy Fuck, and 65daysofstatic. Fast, stuttery keyboards and clean guitars take the forefront while some aggressive polyrhythmic drumming holds it all together. The electronic element in the music is huge, with some almost chiptune-like voices that sound like some video game soundtracks I've heard, but it's still all definitely in a rock context—a bit weird, but it works so well.

I guess it's the overall sense of rhythm in these songs that makes it so damn catchy, so easy to get into a groove with and just kind of ride it straight through to the finish. It all sounds very focused, and even through four relatively short tracks you still see a lot of fantastic things. Not an EP to be missed.

7

Tigon – Infinite Teeth

August 11, 2012 • The Ghost Is Clear Records

Is it metal? Is it punk? Is it math rock or emo... or what? I dunno, but all that matters is whether Infinite Teeth is any good. It's a bit of a strange album, to be sure, and takes time to get used to but I think it's pretty good.

Stylistically, Tigon is doing a lot on this album—there are as I mentioned elements of math rock (most prominently) but also emocore, sludge metal (mostly in the guitar riffs), and even some mathcore ("Whale Maker" and maybe "Plague Apparatus"). Somehow it doesn't feel totally disorienting, as the band manages to meld everything together well into their own unique sound. It's a sound that may take a bit to get used to and some elements tend to not gel terribly well—mostly the spoken, atonal vocals alongside the heavy, gritty guitar lines, and the very dissonant and even random-sounding melodies. The album's aesthetics weren't at all appealing whatsoever the first time I heard it, but they grew on me and I'm enjoying what they're doing here.

but the mood and atmosphere of Infinite Teeth is definitely good. The melodies and rhythms can get very tense and depressive, making the music seem very burdensome (if that makes any sense). But it can also become uplifting, with hints of that twinkly indie-emo sound (or is that post-rock?) during more quiet parts. Nothing ever sounds out of place, though, and though the album throws the occasional surprise at the listener it still all fits together well.

It has its flaws, of course—few of the songs are particularly memorable, it's a bit anticlimactic, and as I mentioned the vocals don't always fit the music well—but all things considered it's not bad at all. It's probably not going to top anyone's list of math rock or emo albums anytime (the songwriting is good but not fantastic) though Infinite Teeth is an impressive start, and hopefully we can see something improved in the future.

6

Ultralyd – Inertiadrome

October 18, 2010 • Rune Grammofon

I don't talk about record labels much, but I gotta say that I do have a lot of respect for Rune Grammofon. I imagine it must be difficult to base your entire business around avant-garde Norwegian music, but they've managed to not only do so but to also generate a good-size cult following. Just about everything I've heard from them (which isn't a lot, but still) has been at least interesting, if not really good. Ultralyd falls more into the "interesting" category—they have a decent sound but don't really do enough for me to consider them "really good".

On the surface, Inertiadrome sounds great. The math-rock-ish, polyrhythmic drumming is carefully executed to good effect, and the growling bass is quite good as well; the two complement each other perfectly. Screeching guitar and saxophone lines accentuate the rhythm well, although every now and again I find myself yearning for some sort of hook to take a break from all the squealing feedback. We finally get one in the final track—a bit too late for me—and it clicks in pretty nicely.

The biggest issue I have with the album then, of course, is the writing. The entire thing suffers very badly from repetition, which is obviously quite a problem with just five long tracks. Each one is the same groove repeated more or less the whole length, with the occasional bars of fill to break them up. I suppose that anyone not paying close attention won't really notice, but I was, and I did. I hesitate to criticize too harshly because the repeated parts were mostly pretty interesting at first, but it would have been more enjoyable if every track was cut in half, at least.

So I think ultimately this album fails for me not because it is unoriginal, or it sounds bad, or the musicians didn't mesh, or anything like that... those things were all fine. Simply put, it is too boring. I won't say I didn't find some enjoyment in it, but it just wasn't enough to keep me engaged for all forty minutes. I don't want to dissuade anyone from checking out Ultralyd's material, but this is not the place to start.

5

Trephine – Trephine

May 31, 2005 • Public Guilt

I'm afraid this will be a short review; there isn't much to say about Trephine. Their self-titled album isn't bad but after picking it back up again after so many years, it doesn't click with me the way it used to.

It exemplifies math rock well though: plenty of crunchy, heavy riffs, frequent tempo changes, constant loud-quiet-loud tradeoffs (not in a post-rock way; more of a psychotic free jazz way) and nary a riff repeated (well, not very often). I'm not very interested in the songwriting, probably because I got bored of most prog rock long ago—granted, the heavier bits can be pretty catchy and there are plenty of nice grooves and melodies all around. But the lighter stuff isn't for me.

The band's sound is pretty cool, though. Technically everyone brings a really competent performance and I love the really gritty bass sound.

So yeah... it's alright: competent and pleasant once or twice, but mostly forgettable in the end due to over-complexity and in spite of its catchiness. Maybe it's simply not for me; I can see fans of math rock and progressive rock alike getting into this, but those styles don't interest me much these days.

5