Sleeping People – Notruf

Sleeping People started in the early thousands. I guess their initial claim to fame was that they had ex members of the instrumental math rock band Rumah Sakit. They also once had a member of The Dirty Projectors on gutiar. Anyhow, they seemingly disappeared after the release of their last full length “Growing” in 2007. I personally wasn’t sure what happened to them. As most of you could tell from my blog, and if you’ve ever spoke to me in real life, I enjoy math rock. At least some certain facets of the genre. I personally have become bored with the recent fad or whatever you call it that was essentially spurred on by Tera Melos and bands of that ilk. Its like kids who were into math rock listened to them and Maps & Atlases(Trees, Sparrows, Houses era anyway) and started bands emulating that style of Math Rock. You know what I mean. Extremely spazzy drums and guitarists tapping so much that something often gets lost in the translation. Not taking away from those 2 bands. I love early Tera Melos and Maps & Atlases. But I always appreciated the style as done by the likes of Don Caballero, Lynx, and Sleeping People. Sleeping People, more so than the other 2 aforementioned bands, seemed to really try their hardest to blend Math Rock and one of that genre’s predecessors Progressive Rock. Riffing that was clearly influenced by King Crimson. Not only that, but they themselves making reference in a song title (Fripp For Girls) to their love and influence from that band. Over the years they have released some really great music. Even through changes in member personal. Which can often really mess up a band. So after “Growing” and years of nothing, here comes “Notruf.” If there was ever proof that Sleeping People had prog influence and tendencies, this album is it. The album is only 2 songs. But they are awesome. Truth is, I've been listening to this album nonstop this past week and went out and bought the vinyl today. I’m glad they didn’t break up. And I really hope that they put out more albums. I think everything they have put out is spectacular. And I’m glad bands like this still exist in a math rock world that has definitely changed since their birth.

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Please buy it if you like it!

Rush – Moving Pictures

(note: I wrote this PRE seeing Rush Thursday.)
Here is the deal. I am going to see Rush this upcoming Thursday. I'm freaking out. I haven't seen them since 2004. They were awesome then. But they were on tour for the “Vapor Trails” album. Which doesn't suck. But yo, this is fucking “Moving Pictures.” And idk if its true or not, but i heard that they are playing this album IN ITS ENTIRETY on their present tour. That along with a lot of their hits from over the years. So yes, safe to say, I'm very excited. This album is a hit machine pretty much. The first 4 songs are fucking CLASSIC. “Tom Sawyer” is one of the quintessential Rush songs. I think most people would agree to that. And its what starts off this album. I don't honestly know if this is the best Rush album. It was the third in a string of awesome records. The other two being “Hemispheres” and “Permanent Waves.” Between those 3 albums are a shit ton of amazing material. So i usually sort of hold them as my trinity of great Rush albums. haha. I try not to pick. Yes I know. You are thinking,”What about 2112?” Yes, that album is great. Its just, well, that's a different Rush. haha. I know that sounds weird, but the 3 albums I mentioned are just a different Rush. Different from 2112 era. Like i said, its hard. I love all the shit they have done since Peart started playing drums for them. So yeah, that's a few records before they got to this point on a musical level. I love the band. I'm stoked. And this album and its songs rock. The end. Go listen to Rush, k?
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Buy It If You Like It

Aloha – Sugar

This album takes me back to a time when I was first sort of thrust into all the indie underground stuff. Granted, in middle school i got into the hardcore that was going on in Syracuse and through that found about about other hardcore bands. High school brought more post hardcore DC type stuff into what i was listening to. I also got more into 90’s alternative rock stuff. But after high school was when I started to really get into indie rock and what had been and was going on to my oblivious mind. Aloha was one of the many bands I found in that time that opened me up to different ideas musically. Aloha set the standard for the sort of jazz/post rock influenced indie rock band. They weren't Tortoise. There is enough of a pop sensibility to their songs that there is the chance for a crossover to someone that is not hip to post rock or anything like that. The vocals play just as important of a role as the vibraphone does. Which is often not the case with post rock bands. Considering a large portion of them are instrumental. This record start to finish is set up to sort of just move all together. Seamless transitions between songs make it seem like it is one long song.  And to view it like that, would be a bit much. I mean, there is ALOT going on with this record. There are all sorts of ideas. Whether they be lyrical, musical or whatever else. Sometimes, I have to admit, that it can become a bit much if you don't know what you are getting into. Thick layers of all sorts of sounds. Keyboards, Percussion, Sounds, Vibraphone, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Etc. Sometimes it seems like the songs come to the brink of falling apart into some sort of noisy collapse. But they find their way back every time. I’m not trying to scare anyone away. This record is fucking great. It has some amazing moments. Some beautiful musical movements. Some outrageous drumming. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, a drummer really makes a band in a lot of ways.  At least for certain kinds of music. The album is always interesting. Mathy. Ambient. Technical. Music at its best in a lot of ways. I don't know if this is really Aloha’s best album. I just know its the one I’ve listened to the most over time and have grown most attached to. Songs like “They See Rocks”, “Let Your Head Hang Low”, “Balling Phase”, “Protest Song” and “We Get Down” seal it for me. Okay, I just named like, half the album. haha. I don't care. That just shows how awesome this record is. If you are into post rock influenced indie rock, or indie rock influenced post rock, listen. Experimental music? listen. I think even my hippie coworker could dig this record. haha.
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Buy It If You Like It

The Cancer Conspiracy

I liked this band from the second I heard their name. (The band name comes from the idea that there is a conspiracy to keep a cure for cancer hidden. This is perpetrated by members of the pharmaceutical community who would lose unimaginable amounts of money if there was a cure. The real money comes from constant treatment. Lots of expensive drugs for a long time, if not for the rest of that patient's life, makes a pharmaceutical company more money than a one off treatment that gets rid of the disease for good. The pharmaceutical companies use their influence in Washington and in the media (newspaper, tv, magazines, etc.) to keep treatments that could be a threat in the dark. That's the story. Go watch the movie "The Beautiful Truth" or the short Film "A World Without Cancer" for more information on the concept.) But then a awesome thing occurred, because besides just agreeing with what their name references, their music was right up my alley. Its always sort of been acknowledged that math rock took serious cues from progressive rock. But for my money, The Cancer Conspiracy might be the first band that can be both genres simultaneously. Its strange to say, but you can definitely hear it track to track. More so on the full length albums. Fripp guitar influence can be heard on some tracks. But I have to say that I'm sick of reading reviews of mathy bands and always hearing King Crimson mentioned. In this case, its actually accurate. But i don't dig name dropping that band unless it actually fits. end mini rant. I would suggest this band to ANY fans of progressive rock. I would also suggest any fans of instrumental math rock checking them out. Like the majority of what i listen to, they aren't together. They haven't been for a long while. The album "Ω"  wasn't released till years after they had broken up. The bassist went on to be in Daughters which doesn't mean anything to me.

Self Titled EP & The Audio Medium

Ω

Buy them if you like them