Retisonic
Lean Beat
Silverthree
OOOHHH! Cool surprise here! Imagine crossing Jesus Lizard (the singer sounds like David Yow) with Jawbox and Braid, and adding the sassiness of Mick Jagger. The wonderful and talented J. Robbins recorded this record, which has to do a lot with how incredibly awesome it sounds. He and Steve Albini are simply incredible in the way that they leave such an unmistakable imprint on the albums they oversee.
What sets Retisonic apart from the rest of the Jawbox-esque bands is its adherence to the roots of math rock. Retisonic pays major homage to Gang Of Four, perhaps the first and most influential math punk band ever. The guitars on Lean Beat are often in different syncopation from the drums, sometimes in different cadence, making for very Entertainment!-era G.O.4 similarities.
It’s been said that math rock is for only the nerdiest and most mature of punk fans, and I agree. It’s hard to sing along with the songs here, but feet can tap and fists can pump… but a calculator is recommended. Hot spots here are the absolutely blistering “Unrepentant,” and the epic opener “Caught in the Light.” As stated before, there’s more attitude to these math rockers, so fans of Dismemberment Plan should enjoy this, as well.
Retisonic: http://www.retisonic.com
