You know that old psychological horror trope where the really crazy guy is scribbling symbols and terminology on the walls of his cell? Yeah. We never minded, actually, some of it looks pretty cool. But after a while it does get old, and we’re starting to feel like we’re trapped in the cell rather than appreciating it from a distance. That’s on us, we should have relocated while we had the chance.
But in the same breath, the writing on the walls has been clear for some time. If you click on the little Tuesday Music Dump tag above, you can read consistently over the last year or two we’ve been using this particular column to wax prophetic and vaguely posit societal observations. Really, you can see it in a lot of the articles, it’s weird how sometimes the blog becomes a blog. Can you imagine coming to a point where one would visit Fecking Bahamas just to get an ‘unauthorized’ glimpse at current events? We didn’t, and we still don’t, but we digress. Who knows what the future holds, right?
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Luckily, we do know that the immediate future, for you dear reader, holds some pretty stellar tunes. Well, you already knew that, you’re the ones kicking ass. For example… Poland’s For Example John above! Anyway, wherever you are, as you go through the inevitable hardships of witnessing an empire’s fall, one thing that you realize is it kind of takes forever, so good music really does help. These recent releases from Totorro, Cardiacs, gazelle(s), and Jinzo all but prove it, so before the gods suck you back up into heaven and whatever else rapture implies, get rockin’ below.
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Totorro – New Music
French filigree and midwest emo are a match made in heaven, and some of the best to ever put two and two together has been the recently reunited / woken from their slumber Totorro. We’re keeping our eye out for whatever’s next, but right now these spry singles will have to do. Luckily, they’re both great.
Cardiacs – LSD
While criminally uncelebrated in the mainstream, it was fantastic to see Dave Grohl ranting about how talented and bizarre Cardiacs were, and ever since he did that, we’ve seen them around more and more. While there was never any doubt that LSD would be good or even great, the ecstatic heights they find with Mike Vennart of Oceanside (and recently Empire State Bastard?!) are as jaw-dropping as ever.
Fat Randy – EP (Extra Extended Version)
This chunky, acerbic brand of math rock is one of our favorites. While before we’ve seen Fat Randy push into some really progressive and occasionally even jazz-influenced territories, this one swings the pendulum back to punk and hardcore, and it’s extremely rewarding to hear their talent bubble up in a different context.
a.m. overcast – Junk Drawer
If there was ever a case for not making short songs that kick you in the throat with their greatness and then leave before repeating themselves, it’s a.m. overcast. Simply put, they are always too good. We always want more, but that being said, Junk Drawer is so cohesive as a collection, we actually get the closure we’ve always wanted from them, and yes, it feels amazing.
gazelle(s) – Posthumous
Man, this one really caught us by surprise, despite spending the best years of our 20’s playing shows in the trenches of Eugene alongside gazelle(s) and their other projects. Now that we think about it, when we were talking to them all those years back about True Meridian, they did mention that they were already stoked for the next one to come out, and now we can finally hear why – it’s gargantuan.
Jinzo – Here’s The Meat
We recently came across this one on Instagram by accident, but we stayed for the whole clip, because this is uncanny math rock in rare form. The whole EP comes out in just a few days, and we can’t wait for the weirdness, as what we’ve already heard sounds like YOWIE meets Bent Knee.
Waxxed – S/T
Somewhere between prog, noise rock, math rock, and dungeon synth is this little firecracker from Connecticut, and we highly recommend for you stay for the whole thing and all it’s fancy song titles.
looser – n y l o n s
As soon as you start listening, you’ll notice there are some truly nasty tones coming from what sounds like one of those Bass-VI things and a very peculiar tape distortion. Or maybe it’s a percolator fuzz thing. Whatever it is, it’s juicy as hell.
caiyoot – spleen
This outrageous slice of progressive shred is sure to pick at the souls of anyone looking for a dirtier, slightly more aggressive
First Light Last Light – S/T
This Glasgow based group sort of sounds like Astronoid but with a healthy dose of garage days that really grounds its sound in plain old fun.
Mind Beams – Ashes
Oh, you want something classy? This is probably the closest we’ll get this dump, but you should be grateful – Mind Beams seems to mix post-hardcore with strangely tortured noise rock, and it’s a doozy.
Post-NC – GREATEST XMAS HITS VOL 2
This dreamy little ditty from Post-NC should be on everyone’s radar – they’re chaotic and non-linear enough to satisfy anyone *cough*us*cough* without losing the plot, which is saying something because these guys cover a lot of ground in a very short amount of time.
wthAura – Summer Scoops
wthAura is relentless at this point, so in a way it’s not surprised he’s dropped so much this year already, but this one just feels particularly at home and one with itself. It might be turning into Autumn, but Summer Scoops is going to last a long time.
on moon – _vc(bass)-lp
Russian DnB with elastic soul? You know you want to hear it, especially because it’s anything but your typical straightforward journey through common time. If you’re familiar with jungle and DnB, but also consider yourself a math rock fan, this one hits the spot.
Fish Ludy – Fragments EP
Fish Ludy’s Fragments EP is more shredded than a Julien salad, but it’s mixed chunkier than Adam’s Natural Coarse Ground peanut butter, and the results are undeniable.
Both Houses – Bruxism / CODE: Veronica
Both Houses are gearing up to release a whole enchilada eventually, but these spicy singles sprawl, spew, and slap with the best of them, particularly the unholy tones of “Bruxism.”
Simian Beard – Nine Points of Collapse
When you lead us into your project with a song titled “Reginald (The Sea Turtle Understands),” we have little choice but to sit there enraptured, and damn, did Simean Beard knock it out of the park with this one, and not the way they thought they would.
Lugubrious Junior – Consider the Mongolians
This morning, we heard this thing for the first time, and immediately asked them to publish it to Bandcamp so we could feature it here. It’s lean, mean, and not just great instrumentally, but fascinating compositionally, always hovering near the familiar, yet never predictable.
Cold Stars – Moiré
This mournful and soft blow from Cold Stars is honestly pretty great, and it’s a damn shame we actually thought they were spam in our inbox for over a week! The acoustic angle is always exciting for math rock, and they back it up with some mysterious vocal harmonies.
Fayzz – Patch
Fayzz recently put out an absolute black hole of eternal class with Patch, which almost feels more like a soundtrack to life than an album. It’s jazzy, it’s math-y, it’s chill, it’s intense, it’s… let’s just say it’s very comprehensive emotionally, whether you’re looking at it from a musical angle or a human one.
Alone I Stand – Fake
This spastic wave of emo and post-hardcore almost takes us back to the earnest days of ye olde Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional, but it’s got enough depth and dynamic to be become a staple of the 5th-wave on it’s own terms. Definitely keep a watch on these guys.
Jazzo – Pozo Bravo Pt. 1
If you’ve ever wondered what a pepped up Town Portal might sound like if they tried to make pop-punk, this Mexican post-rock and math rock outfit fits the bill quite nicely as it leans into the angular and obtuse rather than anything too sweet. It’s bizarre, and it’s awesome.
Fluffer – S/T
This deliciously psychotic… thing might hit the spots for fans of The Residents, Mr. Bungle, or even Flaming Lips. You can hear surf, prog, avant pop, and a whole lot more, but overall it’s the sheer abandon of those possessed vocals and the general goofiness that will keep you coming back.
Corales – S/T
Chilean post-everything with sax? Say no more, friend. This smoky gem of atmospheric screamo and math rock isn’t always easy to listen to, but it’s worth every second as it grates your emotions into tiny pieces.
Freak Puke – Grape Escape
The record title kind of brings to mind a particular Whitest Kids U Know sketch, but musically, Freak Puke is a decent name for the band. But we like it well enough, with it kind of calling to mind the sonic offense of Ron Jarzombek or Freak Kitchen, where it’s sort of meant to be a spectacle. And that’s exactly what this is.
what is your name? – the now now and never
This cross-pollinated genre party from Shanghai really caught us by surprise. It’s like a Y2K aesthetic in a Oneohtrixpointnever kind of way, but also throws in classic math rock, jazz, noise, and more. If you’re looking for something new and beautiful, but also harsh as winter, this one should be at the top of your list.
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Aren’t you glad you got to hear all that before going ditching us for the celestial realm? Also, if it matters, here’s a potentially controversial side note – music doesn’t have to be good to be good medicine, so if you know your inner child resonates with something, blast that shit. Even if it’s math rock. Last week in the dead heat and crippling anxiety of being from the same neighborhood as a very popular shooter, we found ourselves at a point where we basically snapped and instinctually revisited the grungy-est, most nu-metal records of our youth.
We’re talking Puddle of Mudd‘s Life on Display., Spineshank‘s Height of Callousness, Pressure 4-5, Ill Niño, the Resident Evil and Matrix soundtracks… all without shame. It was like making the conscious decision to walk into a Taco Bell, knowing you’d have life-changing diarrhea within the hour, but from your ears. For a second there, it was us in that cell, and it kind of felt good, so maybe there’s something to that. Must one exercise the cringe of one’s past to attain realities most based qualities? We don’t know. We’ll save it for another dump. For now, good luck out there, kids. Stay smart, stay strong, read books, and go with your guts.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)