Math rock, simply put, is punk or indie rock music with an emphasis on unusual, constantly-shifting time signatures. The long-standing joke is that you can use a calculator to determine whether or not a math rock song is good, if you divide the number of total notes across the number of total riffs per time signature change. I could throw out a laundry list of band names (and I almost did) but if this speaks to you, you can go to a website like Fecking Bahamas and get the full rundown. There is no very famous math rock band.
Math rock is a niche genre in the same way that improv is niche hobby. There’s a core group that is absolutely obsessed, but there are a lot of casual fans due to occasional crossover with other fanbases. Because there is no one very famous math rock band, the love is spread pretty equally across the spectrum. You can’t point to one single band under this umbrella and say “this is the best one,” the way you can with Metallica or Beyoncé or Steely Dan. As much as the bands under this label see it as a pejorative, they are very supportive and tight knit community. It is very much the same with improv.
I think there’s a sort of pride that comes with being a practitioner of an obscure art form. We have knowledge that no one has, which affects our lives in ways that few can understand. For example: I was on an episode of Portlandia, in a role for which I didn’t have to audition. How many people can say that? The University of Oregon considers me an “expert” in something. That’s pretty neat. I got to tour Europe twice in one year! All because I’m very well practiced at this weird thing that only some people are even into.
My love of math rock comes from my childhood as an aspiring hardcore/emo guitarist, my undiagnosed ADHD, and my greater love of all things musical. My favorite thing about the genre is that there is always something to keep you on your toes while you’re listening. And the bands run the gamut from fun poppy acoustic duos to brutally punishing mathcore with blast beats and squealing feedback. This is also the foundation for the playlist that would eventually become Bryan vs Music. After seeing a number of soundtracks that were Oops All Top 40’s, I thought it would be nice to include some songs that are a little off the beaten path. Which comprises most of my collection.
At the top of the essay I name dropped Nick Reinhart, guitarist for Tera Melos / Bygones / Goblin Cock / Big Walnuts Yonder and now Death Grips. As good as he is, he will never be Jimi Hendrix or Prince in terms of layperson name recognition. In a similar fashion, I know I’ll never be Will Hines or Craig Cackowski or Heather Anne Campbell. But maybe there is a niche to carve out for me? In the same way that Nick Reinhart is the master of two-hand tappy and making his guitar sound like Aphex Twin by running it through roughly one thousand pedals, maybe there is some weird thing that I can be known for. I’m already the Solo Soundtrack guy. Maybe I just run with it? Come on out to a show and see if you can hear the time signature changes…