coptic light
In today’s additions, do not overlook Coptic Light, whose 2005 self-titled record is a modern math-rock classic, and at a bargain price of three tracks (in 45 minutes) to boot. Coptic Light were — they are no more — members of Storm & Stress (a Don Cab offshoot), Antioch Arrow (such a great goddamn band) and Don Cab (aka the greatest band ever), their collective chops rendered as “More Than 30 Years of Progressive And Math-Rock Experience” should they have been running for office. While some indie-type folks have a slight knowledge of the math canon (they recognize the Don Cab name, maybe have heard of Hella and June of 44), there’s way more stuff that gets overlooked (A Minor Forest, Polvo and Dilute!)(Dilute = sooooo good) and this Coptic Light record sadly falls into that camp. Coptic Light swerves between ambient rock (in a rhythmic, clattering kinda way) and metal. It’s all instrumental. Like a first beard, it’s all about slow growth, how a crescendo can creep when you forget to watch it. Honestly, there’s no excuse here. Three tracks people. Only three tracks!
interesting, i will definitely check this out. i saw storm and stress when they toured with ganger and trans am back in…oh, 1996? something like that. i wasn’t too impressed. looking back on it now, it was the opposite of math rock: three guys playing randomly with no regard for rhythm or what the other was playing. but i’m gonna give this a shot because - and this is my shocking confession - i have never heard any don caballero.
yes, i’ve got over 8gb of music tagged “post rock” or “math rock”. yes, i went to college in pittsburgh in the mid-90’s. no, never heard any don cab.
it always seemed so hard to know where to begin. emusic has got six albums. anyone got a recommendation of where to start?
i am flabbergasted! from pittsburgh nonetheless!!! well micah, i saw without a doubt that the place to start is with their last (and best) record, american don.
oh, and i am definitely lukewarm on storm and stress. but that american don record is perfect. just perfect.
i know, i’m lame. thanks for the tip, yancey - i’m on my way to the DL…
Great recommendation and perfect timing too - I had 3 downloads left for the month!
Glad to see No Quarter here finally. The Psychic Paramour is some good stuff.
Don Cab…ehh, not so much.
yeah, I’ll be checking this out, 3 tracks, no brainer really.
A good friend loves all this type of stuff (esp Don Cab) but I can only get into some of it as can get pretty samey – Polvo’s Exploding Drawings though is a goddamn classic though!
yes! No Quarter! freakin’ FINALLY! Cap. Wrong is right, Psychic Paramount is indeed sick, with members of Laddio Bolocko (for some reason absent on emusic), a band absolutely crucial to any discussion of instrumental/math/psych rock. but more importantly this marks the addition of yet more of the almighty Finnish band Circle to the catalog. i haven’t heard all of these records (yet) but def check out “Sunrise” and “Forest” to get a sense of the yin and yang of what these guys do. (warning: the former contains vocals that could only be described as Rob Halford-esque. if this sounds like something you can’t deal with, don’t even try.)
Thanks for the heads up, LOVE Don Cab!
I saw these guys open for Yura Yura Teikuko at Northsix a little over a year ago (summer of ‘06, I think?) and they killed. A couple weeks later I saw the drummer on the G train and geeked out for a solid 5 minutes before realizing that I was probably the only person in the car (to saying nothing of the entire train, maybe even the LINE) who cared. Great band.
I’m really really digging Coptic Light now.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Actually crediting Jon fine as a member of Don Cab is a little misleading and sells Jon short. He was a member of Bitch Magnet who ultimately influenced many of the other artists you reference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitch_Magnet