The Math Rock Thread

[D.o.S.]

Its US shorthand for Mall Punks.

[Iommic Pope]

Ah right.
Was not aware of committing faux pas.
Carry on.

[rustywire]

Its US shorthand for Mall Punks Goths.

Hot Topic is a corporate music swag store that specializes in novelty and paint-by-numbers trends/image memorabilia.
It's a favorite mall hangout for tweens wearing costumes, where everyone more or less looks female or androgynous.

I could fill a book with cliches about this silly store. But I'd rather leave it at [this] and a clip:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r5yc8G8OiY[/youtube]

[neonblack]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDGEs0eVCAE[/youtube]
Cinemechanica

[trace]

Valerian Swing
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXIBJvS5bPE[/youtube]
Time Columns
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uavJfya2Yas[/youtube]

[foomanfat]

Oh, shit. I forgot about Time Columns!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYH_5YZ5gg[/youtube]

[voerking]

i like the harder edged/dissonant, usually instrumental end of math rock.

since we're on the topic, i used to be in this band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhw7EePkcWg

and i'm currently in this band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAPiEuA1w_I

[backwardsvoyager]

i like the harder edged/dissonant, usually instrumental end of math rock.

since we're on the topic, i used to be in this band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhw7EePkcWg

and i'm currently in this band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAPiEuA1w_I

hell yeah. Yowie and Grand Ulena are fucking amazing bands and everybody should listen.

i'm curious as to what the writing process is like for this kind of music. does much thought go into it theory-wise or do you just go by ear and practice until it's at that level of ridiculous tight-ness?
especially with Yowie it's almost like a group of disciplined jazz musicians deliberately using the most dissonant note combinations possible. blows my mind every time.

[Sparrow]

cool! Agree with backwards ..
sounds Great voerking

[Bellyheart]

Gotta google:

Night idea
Dumb waiter

[Sparrow]

Oh, shit. I forgot about Time Columns!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYH_5YZ5gg[/youtube]

this is Great! sounds a lot like Moneen IMO.

[voerking]

i'm curious as to what the writing process is like for this kind of music. does much thought go into it theory-wise or do you just go by ear and practice until it's at that level of ridiculous tight-ness?
especially with Yowie it's almost like a group of disciplined jazz musicians deliberately using the most dissonant note combinations possible. blows my mind every time.

with Yowie especially, it's all about the rhythmic interplay. the guitar parts are written more as percussion ideas that use note clusters, slides, etc. theory only really enters into it when we're figuring out what NOT to play (don't want to accidentally play a major triad between the two guitars, for instance).

GU had a bit more theory involved in the writing process, but once again, it was more about what we chose not to play. i don't think i played a perfect 5th interval the entire time i was in that band.

but, with both bands, the writing process is/was incredibly slow. write a little bit at a time & gradually build it into a big (hopefully cohesive) whole, then practice forever...

[backwardsvoyager]

i'm curious as to what the writing process is like for this kind of music. does much thought go into it theory-wise or do you just go by ear and practice until it's at that level of ridiculous tight-ness?
especially with Yowie it's almost like a group of disciplined jazz musicians deliberately using the most dissonant note combinations possible. blows my mind every time.

with Yowie especially, it's all about the rhythmic interplay. the guitar parts are written more as percussion ideas that use note clusters, slides, etc. theory only really enters into it when we're figuring out what NOT to play (don't want to accidentally play a major triad between the two guitars, for instance).

GU had a bit more theory involved in the writing process, but once again, it was more about what we chose not to play. i don't think i played a perfect 5th interval the entire time i was in that band.

but, with both bands, the writing process is/was incredibly slow. write a little bit at a time & gradually build it into a big (hopefully cohesive) whole, then practice forever...

ooh okay, that makes a lot of sense. thanks for the insight!

i spent a fair bit of time in school doing jazz/classical study and i'm desperately trying to get out of all the writing/playing habits formed from learning about conventional harmony.. Yowie in particular is a band that since first discovering i've always admired for being able to not trigger things in my head as far as widely used harmonic or rhythmic patterns go. not that there's anything wrong with writing such music but i personally enjoy music to the fullest when i can't exactly predict what's going to happen or explain what's going on in conventional terms. the more pre-digested it is for the listener the less they can be be amazed or confounded by it.

[ThurberMingus]

Awesome 2-piece from the UK:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qot35mfF_ls[/youtube]

And here's some 18 yr old kid from MKE that I somehow met on the internet. Crazy music and awesome videos!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqjrFOJldQE[/youtube]

[voerking]

this band, DON VITO will be touring the states in October...they are awesome:
http://youtu.be/_wJfEbwaLxw