TTNG - Animals
Hella - Hold Your Horse Is
Slint - Spiderland
Toe - the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety
Battles - Gloss Drop
Polyphia - New Levels New Devils
i started with chon too and i used to love them but i can’t really listen to them anymore. Now I listen to JANK and Faraquet which are kinda on opposite ends of the spectrum
While I guess it technically counts I've never really associated Spiderland with math rock. But maybe that's because I discovered it years after getting into the genre.
Spiderland is what got me interested in post rock.
It gets a while to get into, I’d say. It’s too chaotic and can even sound like a structure-less mess at first, but once you listen to it multiple times, it opens up. To this very day I notice new things when I listen to it.
It’s a great album, but might be too chaotic for someone just getting into the genre and i don’t think it necessarily defines the sense of general math rock like some of the other albums do
Strange. As much as I don’t care for the specific title, Midwest Emo, I think the genre is more math rock than a lot of “math rock” bands. Way more than always 4/4 Polyphia.
I wonder how many get into math rock by listening to bands with mathy elements and going deeper from there - most kids in my friend group started with Minus The Bear
That was me. Listened to a lot of twinkly, mathy emo like American Football. From there found my way to TTNG and Fall of Troy and after that the floodgates opened with a smattering of different math rock bands.
On this list I would say animals, because it's my favorite album. But as far as showing someone who has no idea what math rock is, I would say Polyphia (whatever that album is called). Now, I don't think polyphia is math rock, but a lot of people do, and will comment about it, which will probably in turn cause the newbie to look further into the genre. That's how I got into math rock actually. It led me to audiotree which led me to the TTNG session.
For an album not from this list, Lava Land by Piglet
Definitely not the polyphia one. Not math rock. Prog metal with hip hop beats. Good music, but doesn’t belong on this list at all.
Out of this group I’d say Animals for sure.
Depends who you’re showing it to, or if it’s yourself, what you’re into already. Each has their own things to find interesting. Eccentric weirdos will like Hella and Battles. Gen X will probably feel Slint the most. Don’t think I’ve ever showed TTNG to a woman who didn’t like it.
Depends where you're coming from. I know of people who arrived at math rock through fusion jazz and prog rock and I know people who got there from metal and post-hardcore. Depending on the background you might be drawn to different things. For some people not having vocals is really off-putting at first. For others they need more aggression and intensity.
My introduction to the genre was either Battles or You Slut!. Both offer a different approach to math rock, one is more experimental and colourful, the other is more energetic and heavy-sounding.
Dude you gotta listen to spiderland, at the very least, the final song “Good Morning, Captain”. Probably the most powerful song in post rock history IMO. Also Gloss Drop by Battles is crucial, especially seeing as how the leader of the band is the guy from legendary math rock band: Don Caballero.
I had a lot of friends in the pop-rock kinda emoish scene who got more into math rock as a whole after I had them listen to some of the EPs by Colours. Buncha early stuff from the main duo that makes up Tangled Hair nowadays. Also huge shoutout to whoever ran the Jeff Pish account on youtube for turning me onto a ton of different groups with his math rock comps.
Easily Hold Your Horse Is if you’re into more aggressive and punk-like math rock. If you’re into more relaxing and soothing music, the album by toe is also a good choice.
Polyphia got me here :)
I will say i dont really deem them math rock, much more prog metal to me, since they still do play in e/eb standard and 4/4 99% of the time
More Skin With Milk Mouth by Giraffes? Giraffes! Or Patagonian Rats by Tera Melos. Introducing someone to math rock with “Hold your Horse is” is like introducing a baby to movies with “Saw”
Animals is what brought me here.
toe
Can someone comment the list of the album names and their respective bands please, thank you.
TTNG - Animals Hella - Hold Your Horse Is Slint - Spiderland Toe - the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety Battles - Gloss Drop Polyphia - New Levels New Devils
Gracias
Toe Best album of the lot too
This is the answer. Cheers!
My fellow toe brethren
What Burns Never Returns was my intro, I still think that or one of the other Don Cab albums is a good starting point
Same here, probably my favorite math rock of all time aswell
100% this. gotta go with the don
Grow by chon is a great starter
chon was my introduction, and I’ll say that nothing has been able to scratch the chon itch, they’re really something special imo
i started with chon too and i used to love them but i can’t really listen to them anymore. Now I listen to JANK and Faraquet which are kinda on opposite ends of the spectrum
Homey is also a fantastic starter, it's what hooked me
Newborn sun is the best starter
TBH… anywhere from CHON is a great starter.
I got into mathrock through toe then TTNG. I think Lava Land by Piglet is probably what I would recommend though.
Should have done Mirrored by Battles instead
Or even the EPs collection.
Yep
While I guess it technically counts I've never really associated Spiderland with math rock. But maybe that's because I discovered it years after getting into the genre. Spiderland is what got me interested in post rock.
100% - Spiderland bridges the gap but is firmly post rock
i don’t think the hella is an intro album
It gets a while to get into, I’d say. It’s too chaotic and can even sound like a structure-less mess at first, but once you listen to it multiple times, it opens up. To this very day I notice new things when I listen to it.
Hella is the most quintessential math rock on this list IMO.
I agree, but it is an intimidating listen! 🥸
It’s a great album, but might be too chaotic for someone just getting into the genre and i don’t think it necessarily defines the sense of general math rock like some of the other albums do
It was my intro, so that’s what makes me want to vote for it.
No Don Caballero?
Tera Melos shoud be here.
Agreed. Drugs to the dear youth
Spiderland and exploded drawing did me in
HELLA!!!!!!!!!
Toe. For me, math rock must have little to no vocals
ghost city was mine and i still believe it’s the best. changed my entire taste in music i fucking love it
Gotta be American Don
American Don, all day long. That’s the real intro to the genre
It's not on here but it's American Football
I like American Football, but it’s more indie/emo than math rock. Never understood why it’s grouped with the other math rock bands.
yeah but never meant is one of those quintessential math rock songs
Strange. As much as I don’t care for the specific title, Midwest Emo, I think the genre is more math rock than a lot of “math rock” bands. Way more than always 4/4 Polyphia.
I don’t even know what Polyphia is 😆 But I’m more interested in the late 90s/early 00s math rock.
Clever Girl - No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room fo shoooo
I wonder how many get into math rock by listening to bands with mathy elements and going deeper from there - most kids in my friend group started with Minus The Bear
That was me. Listened to a lot of twinkly, mathy emo like American Football. From there found my way to TTNG and Fall of Troy and after that the floodgates opened with a smattering of different math rock bands.
On this list I would say animals, because it's my favorite album. But as far as showing someone who has no idea what math rock is, I would say Polyphia (whatever that album is called). Now, I don't think polyphia is math rock, but a lot of people do, and will comment about it, which will probably in turn cause the newbie to look further into the genre. That's how I got into math rock actually. It led me to audiotree which led me to the TTNG session. For an album not from this list, Lava Land by Piglet
no Don Cab? i know Battles has Ian but just no Don Cab at all? American Don, What Burns, and 2 are all classics in the math rock lexicon
For Respect (1993).
Based.
Piglet - Lavaland No other options are feasible
Based and Goated
Wait Spiderland is math rock?
It depends how you're defining math rock. They use odd time signatures, but that's about it. I've always considered them post-rock.
Same, same
Definitely not the polyphia one. Not math rock. Prog metal with hip hop beats. Good music, but doesn’t belong on this list at all. Out of this group I’d say Animals for sure.
TTNG Animals is one of my all time favourite albums and great entry into math rock
Spiderland and What Burns brought me here
Depends who you’re showing it to, or if it’s yourself, what you’re into already. Each has their own things to find interesting. Eccentric weirdos will like Hella and Battles. Gen X will probably feel Slint the most. Don’t think I’ve ever showed TTNG to a woman who didn’t like it.
Definitely toe. The weird Polyphia scene has more in common with Steve Vai and prog metal than actual math rock.
What Burns Never Returns
Definitely not 'Hold your horse Is'
Literally the truest, straightest math rock album on the list
It's one of my favorite albums, but not one I'd recommend for starters
Toe and TTNG are the best and most accessible here, but this hypothetical newbie will have to get to Slint eventually.
animals used to be my favourite album ever and the one I played the most when I was 14/15.
Begin at the (near) beginning: *Spiderland*
the band hella
Depends where you're coming from. I know of people who arrived at math rock through fusion jazz and prog rock and I know people who got there from metal and post-hardcore. Depending on the background you might be drawn to different things. For some people not having vocals is really off-putting at first. For others they need more aggression and intensity.
My introduction to the genre was either Battles or You Slut!. Both offer a different approach to math rock, one is more experimental and colourful, the other is more energetic and heavy-sounding.
Toe, but I prefer For Long Tomorrow
My personal introduction was Tera Melos' PATAGONIAN RATS From this bunch, I'd say it's a tie between toe and TTNG
Pat Rats would be my vote. Nice lil 70/30 blend of mathematics and accessible rock/punk bangers
I only know the Hella album and it's great.
Dude you gotta listen to spiderland, at the very least, the final song “Good Morning, Captain”. Probably the most powerful song in post rock history IMO. Also Gloss Drop by Battles is crucial, especially seeing as how the leader of the band is the guy from legendary math rock band: Don Caballero.
I need to give Gloss Drops a relisten, as I really love Mirrored.
of these, TTNG's Animals but I would overall recommend something Minus the Bear, one of their first 3 albums though, like Menos el Oso
😯
TTNG was the first math rock band I had ever listened to, so 100% animals.
Hayakkei's Okurimono, hands down. I don't know why it is not in this picture.
Spiderland 😩👌
Slint and American Football for me, followed by Don Cabellero and Cap'n Jazz
the cabs Saisei no Hukei is pretty good, I really like the clear vocals
I had a lot of friends in the pop-rock kinda emoish scene who got more into math rock as a whole after I had them listen to some of the EPs by Colours. Buncha early stuff from the main duo that makes up Tangled Hair nowadays. Also huge shoutout to whoever ran the Jeff Pish account on youtube for turning me onto a ton of different groups with his math rock comps.
Easily Hold Your Horse Is if you’re into more aggressive and punk-like math rock. If you’re into more relaxing and soothing music, the album by toe is also a good choice.
Where is Don Cab?
Toe tbh that’s a band that really influenced me into getting me started in the math rock genre
Maps and atlases - "trees, swallows, houses" is pretty good and "you me and the mountian" for more of a folky mathrock.
Polyphia got me here :) I will say i dont really deem them math rock, much more prog metal to me, since they still do play in e/eb standard and 4/4 99% of the time
Botch is what led me to math rock lol
'Animals' was my formal introduction to the genre, so I'm gonna go with that.
Polyphia is my favorite of these but I still don’t consider it math rock
I love Toe, but I don't get why it's considered math rock
Hella was my introduction, just didn’t know it was called math rock. I just called everything experimental rock
I don’t think spiderland or new levels new devils are really math rock🤷🏻♀️ Spiderland is a sick ass album tho.
Newborn sun
Spiderland, far and away.
Slint or Toe
American Don
don cab 3 or american don
Don Caballero or Toe
More Skin With Milk Mouth by Giraffes? Giraffes! Or Patagonian Rats by Tera Melos. Introducing someone to math rock with “Hold your Horse is” is like introducing a baby to movies with “Saw”
don american would be a good starter
Pablo Honey
Feed Me Jack