Line #7 Main/MathRock


1	[floatboxright:
2	Primary Stylistic Influences:
3	+ PostHardcore, NoiseRock, ProgressiveRock
4	]
5	[floatboxright:
6	Secondary Stylistic Influences:
7	+ some bands influences by HardcorePunk, HeavyMetal and HardRock
8	+ others influenced by melodic IndiePop, EmoMusic and PostPunk Revival
9	]
10
11	'''Math rock''' is a subgenre of [[AlternativeRock alternative rock]] that first materialized in the early 90s, characterized by [[UncommonTime unusual time signatures]], atypical rhythms (stopping and starting are common), angular melodies, and dissonance. The genre is influenced by [[ProgressiveRock prog rock]], [[HardcorePunk hardcore]], jazz, and experimental composers such as Steve Reich and Music/JohnCage. It usually only features guitar, bass, and drums, with vocals not being a priority.
12
13	The genre started in several different places - Chicago had Bastro and Shellac (a Music/SteveAlbini project), for example, while Pittsburgh sported Don Caballero, San Diego had Antioch Arrow and Drive Like Jehu, and Washington DC offered Shudder to Think and Jawbox. Other places had groups as well, such as Chapel Hill, North Carolina's Polvo and Louisville featured math rock/[[PostRock post-rock]] legends Music/{{Slint}}, who released the classic album ''Spiderland'' in 1991. New York also sported math rock pioneers Chavez.
14
15	Math rock is closely related to post-rock, but starting around the mid-90s and especially prevalent come the new millennium, the two genres diverged; math rock is often more punk-influenced and disjointed, whereas post-rock leans more towards fluid soundscapes.
16
17	While uncommon time signatures are often a crucial part of math rock, they're not a required part of the genre. There are bands such as Minus the Bear who make music with standard time signatures, but still keep the irregular rhythms and angular guitar playing and melodies of the genre.
18
19	The genre is still alive today, with bands such as Hella, Tera Melos, Giraffes? Giraffes!, Lite, Knot Feeder, Sleeping People, June of 44, Rodan, The For Carnation, and probably a million other bands offering new music.
20
21	There is also a subgenre of math rock sometimes labelled as '''math pop'''; these bands take a more accessible approach to the genre, keeping its unusual time signatures and rhythms, but fusing them with more melodic songwriting, polished production, and clean vocals. These groups often draw inspiration from the arpeggiating guitar lines of midwest emo, the danceable rhythms of the 2000s PostPunk revival, and/or the catchy songwriting of IndiePop. A number of Japanese bands have also come out and fused this sound with J-rock. Bands labeled as math pop include TTNG, Music/{{Foals}}, Music/{{Everything Everything\|Band}}, Music/MinusTheBear, and Music/{{Tricot}}, among others.
22
23	Not to be confused with "math rocks", tabletop gamer slang for MediaNotes/{{Dice}}.
24	----
25
26	!!Bands that are generally considered to be math rock include:
27
28	[[index]]
29	* Music/AmericanFootball, mixed with EmoMusic
30	* Music/AntiochArrow
31	* Music/{{Autoclave}}
32	* Music/{{Bastro}}
33	* Music/{{Battles}}
34	* Music/{{Bellini}}
35	* [[Music/BigN Big'N]]
36	* Music/BlackMidi (amongst [[GenreBusting many other genres]])
37	* Music/{{Breadwinner}}
38	* Music/{{Car Bomb}}
39	* Music/{{Chavez}}
40	* Music/{{Colossamite}}
41	* Music/{{Covet}}
42	* Music/{{Crain}}
43	* Music/{{Craw}}
44	* Music/DazzlingKillmen
45	* Music/DonCaballero
46	* Music/DriveLikeJehu
47	* Music/TheEdmundFitzgerald
48	* Music/EngineDown
49	* Music/{{Everything Everything\|Band}} (amongst [[GenreBusting many other genres]])
50	* Music/TheFallOfTroy, mixed with PostHardcore and ProgressiveRock
51	* Music/{{Faraquet}}
52	* Music/{{Foals}} (an odd hybrid of this and DancePunk)
53	* Music/TheForCarnation (perhaps the softest of the bunch, also counts as PostRock)
54	* Music/{{Frontierer}}
55	* [[Music/GiraffesGiraffes Giraffes? Giraffes!]]
56	* Music/{{Hella}}
57	* Music/HeroDestroyed
58	* Music/HexMachine
59	* Music/{{Hoover}}
60	* Music/HotMulligan
61	* Music/{{June of 44}}
62	* Music/{{Jawbox}}
63	* Music/JuniorPrivateDetective
64	* Music/KnotFeeder
65	* Music/LingTositeSigure
66	* Music/{{Lite}}
67	* Music/{{Marmozets}} (one of the heavier bands on this list)
68	* {{Music/Tequilajazzz}}
69	* Music/{{Mew}} (A notable example of math pop)
70	* Music/MinusTheBear
71	* Music/AMinorForest
72	* [[Music/TheNinetyDayMen The 90 Day Men]]
73	* Music/NoMeansNo (an UrExample of sorts)
74	* Music/{{Oxes}}
75	* Music/{{Polvo}}
76	* Music/{{Polyphia}}
77	* Music/PrettyAndNice, although it's closer to math pop.
78	* Music/QAndNotU
79	* Music/{{Rodan}}
80	* Music/LesSavyFav
81	* Music/SeparationOfMAY
82	* Music/{{Shale}}
83	* Music/{{Shellac}}
84	* Music/{{Shiner}}
85	* Music/ShippingNews
86	* Music/{{Shorty}}
87	* Music/ShudderToThink
88	* Music/SleepingPeople
89	* Music/{{Slint}} (Also considered to be defining PostRock band)
90	** 1991 - ''Music/{{Spiderland}}''
91	* Music/SweepTheLegJohnny
92	* Music/TallShips
93	* Music/TeraMelos
94	* Music/ToastedPlastic
95	* Music/TokenBlackGuy
96	* Music/{{Tricot}}
97	* Music/USMaple
98	* Music/{{Uzeda}}
99	* Music/{{Youthmovies}}
100	[[/index]]
101
102	!!Tropes Common In MathRock:
103
104	* EpicRocking: Not uncommon in the genre- "Washer" and "Good Morning Captain" by Music/{{Slint}} are good examples (8:50 and 7:40, respectively). Some bands (Rodan, Polvo, A Minor Forest, and Don Caballero to name a few) have songs that go over the ten minute mark.
105	* HarshVocals: [[{{Instrumentals}} When bands even have vocals at all]], it's not uncommon for them to alternate between screaming or shouting and PerishingAltRockVoice and [[SpokenWordInMusic spoken passages]].
106	* IndecipherableLyrics: Common.
107	* {{Instrumentals}}: Many bands have at least a few of these, and some (such as Don Caballero) are basically completely instrumental.
108	* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: Common, often overlapping with NonAppearingTitle. A Minor Forest was an especially big fan of this trope, with titles like "Bill's Mom Likes to Fuck", "Jacking Off [[Creator/GeorgeLucas George Lucas]]", and "Putting the Gay Back in Reggae".
109	* MinisculeRocking: Very short songs or song fragments are common. Sometimes on the same albums as [[EpicRocking the very long ones]]. Shorter songs tend to be HardcorePunk-influenced.
110	* NonAppearingTitle: In contrast to the technical nature of the music, math rock bands often give their songs titles that are long, absurd or humorous, or are out-of-context quotes from a television show or movie, and which do not appear anywhere in the lyrics. Don Caballero and Minus the Bear did this regularly, giving their songs titles like Minus the Bear's "[[Film/StarshipTroopers Damn Bugs Whacked Him, Johnny]]" and "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse" and Don Caballero's "In the Absence of Strong Evidence to the Contrary, One May Step Out of the Way of the Charging Bull" and "Let's Face It Pal, You Didn't Need That Eye Surgery".
111	* PerishingAltRockVoice: Common in the genre, but not universal.
112	* PostHardcore: Often considered to be either a subgenre or a derivative of this, so there's considerable overlap between the two genres.
113	* PostRock: The other genre it often overlaps with. Music/{{Slint}} in particular are a good example of a band who qualify as both, and there several others.
114	* SpokenWordInMusic: Another common vocal approach. ''Spiderland'' by Music/{{Slint}} has several good examples, as does ''Rusty'' by Rodan, and many other bands have followed suit.
115	* SubduedSection: A common dynamic device in the genre. Some songs have more than one!
116	* TropeCodifier: Probably Music/{{Slint}}, particularly ''Spiderland''. However, Shellac, Crain, Rodan, Polvo, and Chavez did a lot to cement the concept of the genre in the Indie Rock fanbase's minds as well.
117	* UncommonTime: Very common, to the point of being considered a defining characteristic of the genre. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBgQPSUTWVM This video]] is a great example of this trope.
118	* UrExample: [=NoMeansNo=] are an obvious antecedent to the genre, but aren't usually considered part of it proper, and predate bands like Music/{{Slint}}, Crain, Dazzling Killmen, and Bastro by a number of years.
119	* WordSaladLyrics: Frequently.

Context Main / MathRock