A few weeks ago I read an article reviewing the previous Math the Band record, Banned the Math. The author charged Math with writing music that is, “brainless, grating, and a chore to listen to,” which Kevin, the lead vocals/guitar/programming half of Math, took as some kind of backhanded compliment to be displayed proudly as their myspace headline.
I, on the contrary, think Math the Band is brilliant, and even at their very worst, undeniably entertaining. I challenge anyone who has witnessed their live show to say the opposite. I’ve seen tough crowds burst into dance, or sometimes speechless awe, when confronted with the electro-but-not-quite-nintendo tracks, the yelled out chant-along mantras, and the relentless fun loving charisma of Kevin and Justine.
Tour de Friends is their latest endeavor and though not as ambitious length-wise as their previous record, certainly smarter in song composition. The EP begins with “Hang Out/Hang Ten” an ADD dance track that crescendos into the fist pumping chant, “everybody have fun tonight!”
The album continues at a manic pace (I’m dancing as I type this), but the next track “Almost!” just doesn’t aptly demonstrate Math the Band’s ability to construct catchy vocal hooks. The one major weakness of this album is that the vocals are at times incomprehensible, like someone yelling into a telephone with loud noise in the background.
Despite the at times unnecessary vocal distortion, the next track, “Cardboard Room,” is one of my favorites. The song is about when Kevin and his roommate covered their apartment in cardboard hoping to set a Guinness world record and become famous. The track also features one of the best synth lines ever conceptualized, that is by humans, which nicely bridges the song together.
The EP ends, though there are actually two secret songs, with the title track. “Tour de Friends” encapsulates the progress Math the Band has made in the past few years of existence. It has the characteristic electronic let’s-dance-like-idiots feel, but underneath is a well constructed rock-it-in-the-right-places pop song. I’m not entirely sure what the song is about in terms of subject matter but I have had the line, “What’s the deal with the horses?” stuck in my head the better part of this week.
Tour de Friends is a well constructed, and good intentioned, EP that will have you up and dancing the entire 13 minutes of duration. Though it displays some of Math’s enviable talent, I’m expecting the next album to more wholeheartedly encompass the incessant energy and brilliance of their live show. If I used stars I’d say this album is roughly a 3.5 out of 5.
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