Premier Rock Forum

crap
zappa already did it

Growing up just south of the city, math rock was one of the early terms I learned to describes the bands I liked. Shellac was math rock. TJL and Big'n were noise rock, the difference being that they were math rock, but noisier. This was before the proliferation of the internet and I really had no problem with the terms. As the world got smaller, the term 'Chicago rock' started to be thrown around, and I liked that too. Chicago rock fit everything I liked, even the Oxes, who aren't from Chicago.

I have heard "90's Chicago Rock" thrown around a lot to describe the stuff I love. I hate the '90's' part; I don't like to think that the greatest noise that I ever heard is dated. But whatever.

I'm curious what the inclusion of Tar or Big'n to the math rock conversation brings. In 1996 Joliet Illinois Tar was math rock and Big'n was math(noise) rock.

It's like we have to list our favorite math rock bands and then let everyone else decide if what we like is crap. Totally the point of this forum, but still somehow terribly stupid.

I mean, Meshuggah ends this conversation at the OP. Everything else, be it yap about the 90s or time signatures or attitude or Chicago or whatever, goes out the fucking window que pronto, Tonto. It's academic.

I have played in mathy bands back in the early to mid 90s. I was generally trying to use noise to emulate James Brown. JB is math soul, or whatever.

With all due respect sir, I cringe -- literally cringe -- at the thought of James Brown's music being described as mathy. (Incidentally, yours truly's general abhorrence toward math rock had quite a lot to do with my getting into funk, northern soul, and other, legitimately more engaging rhythm-based, black music.)

Of course you could describe James Brown as mathy, but only in the sense that all music is mathy, since it's temporal and all notes or "events" could be described numerically. But then, what's the point? Why describe any music in terms of style or genre? We may as well throw the towel in and stop trying to categorize anything (not the worst idea, actually).

Ekkssvvppllott wrote:With all due respect sir, I cringe -- literally cringe -- at the thought of James Brown's music being described as mathy. (Incidentally, yours truly's general abhorrence toward math rock had quite a lot to do with my getting into funk, northern soul, and other, legitimately more engaging rhythm-based, black music.)

Of course you could describe James Brown as mathy, but only in the sense that all music is mathy, since it's temporal and all notes or "events" could be described numerically. But then, what's the point? Why describe any music in terms of style or genre? We may as well throw the towel in and stop trying to categorize anything (not the worst idea, actually...).

but what about all that "i wanna count it off," "can i count it off?" shit. brother was all about the math.

jimmy spako wrote:

Ekkssvvppllott wrote:With all due respect sir, I cringe -- literally cringe -- at the thought of James Brown's music being described as mathy. (Incidentally, yours truly's general abhorrence toward math rock had quite a lot to do with my getting into funk, northern soul, and other, legitimately more engaging rhythm-based, black music.)

Of course you could describe James Brown as mathy, but only in the sense that all music is mathy, since it's temporal and all notes or "events" could be described numerically. But then, what's the point? Why describe any music in terms of style or genre? We may as well throw the towel in and stop trying to categorize anything (not the worst idea, actually...).

but what about all that "i wanna count it off," "can i count it off?" shit. guy was just addicted to the math.

Well, he probably spent more time abusing his spouse than he did counting off numbers, so maybe "Wifebeater Funk" would be more appropriate.

But did he beat her in 4/4?

Here's some math rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dqLHdK4TlE

Yeah...but what about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSnZFykq5n8

The MayorofRockNRoll wrote:Yeah...but what about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSnZFykq5n8

Holy shit that band was wigtastic!


I was hoping one of those kids were going to say "I came here to play hide and seek motherfucker! Not count by fives!"