Math rock
| Math rock | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s United States (Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Los Angeles) and Japan |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | |
| Other topics | |
Math rock is a style of indie rock that emerged in the late 1980s in the United States, influenced by post-hardcore,progressive rock bands such as King Crimson and 20th century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. Math rock is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), counterpoint, odd time signatures, angular melodies, and extended, often dissonant, chords. It bears similarities to post-rock.
Whereas most rock music uses a 4/4 meter (however accented or syncopated), math rock frequently uses non-standard time signatures such as 7/8, 11/8, or 13/8, or features constantly changing meters based on various groupings of 2 and 3. This rhythmic complexity, seen as mathematical in character by many listeners and critics, is what gives the genre its name.
The sound is usually dominated by guitars and drums as in traditional rock, and because of the complex rhythms, the drums section of math rock groups tend to be more salient than in other genres. It is commonplace to find guitarists in math rock groups using the tapping method of guitar playing, and loop pedals are occasionally incorporated, as by the band Battles. Guitars are also often played in clean tones more than in other upbeat rock songs, but some groups also use distortion.
Lyrics are generally not the focus of math rock; the voice is treated as just another sound in the mix. Often, vocals are not overdubbed, and are positioned low in the mix, as in the recording style of Steve Albini, or the legendary Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller. Many of math rock's most famous groups are entirely instrumental such as Don Caballero or Hella, though both have experimented with singing to varying degrees.
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