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65daysofstatic - The Fall Of Math
The term "post-rock" is applied to a lot of stuff these days. From the ambient epic-soundscapes of Sigur Ros, to the technical, sample based work of Mogwai, or even the instrumental creations of Godspeed, You Black Emperor!. But here I present to you the pinnacle of TNWOBPR (The New Wave Of British Post-Rock), a wave also surfed by bands like Mono, Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies and Aereogramme. This is yet another brilliant album of 2004 nobody heard because of the musical press' unnecessary hyping of unworthy bands, but that's okay, Kerrang! readers can keep their Lostprophets and Good Charlottes, and NME can keep their Libertines and suchlike - underground guitar music is there for those who WANT to discover it.

The title of the album gives you a sense of the apocalyptic - 'The Fall Of Math' would mean the end of mankind as we know it. And this is just the type of image the band are trying to create. The controlled-noise merchants from Sheffield have evidently taken the works of Aphex Twin under a magnifying glass (particularly on title track 'The Fall Of Math'), and mixed it with influences from the likes of Slint, Mogwai and Kraftwerk to make a veritable opus. Every track has a certain element to it - and almost always a bloody wierd title, too.

There are no vocals on this record, only a few samples...and I think this works for them. First "release", 'Retreat!, Retreat!' rightly exclaims "This band cannot be stopped!", before launching into a rich and luscious groove, one that you can almost taste. Later tracks like 'Hole' show an inventiveness beyond their tender years, as feedback squalls beneath layers of strings and drumbeats sound from below. Possibly the most exciting part of this is that they can only get better as they get older. Definitely one of the major highlights of last year's crop of new bands, and one can only hope they can go on to major things in '05 and beyond. I will certainly regret missing them in their amoebic form at my local venue in Kingston for a long time.

Ollie Connors