Curse League – Bodega Disco (2016)

The new release from Seattle’s Curse League, Bodega Disco, is another to add to the list of dynamic and distinct west coast math bands. Opening track ‘Vencido’ is energetic, math-pop-core, both fun and substantial. Vocals weave and turn through the vigorous melodies and riffs of dual guitars of Chester Cun and Kai Brunson, punctuated by the tight yet enjoyably spastic drumming of Jake Campbell. Vigorous rhythms and organized chaos subsist with melodic intricacies, combining a bit of sugar with all of the shred-heavy technicality.

‘Counting Sheep’ goes from dreamy to anthemic, from sunny finger-tapping riffs to heavier shred arpeggiation, fuzzed out and blissed out. ‘Miles of Dangerous Ideas’ explores miles of musical territory: calypso-flavoured hues, drum rolls, and precise guitar build from light to heaviness, all pulsation and rhythmic blast.

Complex, atypical rhythmic structures explode in ‘Palace Falls,’ and the floating angular guitar melodies and churning basslines meld the sometimes dissonant sonics with a pop sweetness that lies beneath the fuzz. These noteworthy note makers have delivered what my ears have been searching for. Their sound bends minds and occasionally genres with a sound that is both spontaneous and structured, with complex percussion and tasty riffs culminating in a delicious mathy treat.