Mathematicians

CALCULATING THE EQUATION OF RHYTHM + MELODY = BRINGING THE PULSE TO THE PEOPLE



The Mathematicians played closing Sunday of SXSW @ Emo's inside (Emo's Jr). And, even though I was supposed to be outside watching the band on the main stage, I couldn't tear myself away. It's like digital techno, arithmetic pop, geek rock, with mathematical wit.

With lyrics such as:

Bad chemistry
Between my robot and me
Oh he's such a sleaze
When it comes to the birds & the bees

and

Trigonometry is good for your soul on the song "Hypotenuse of Love" (which in layman's terms means "Love Triangle"), the listener can discover that mathematical whizzes can be funny and sexy. But I think my favorite song on the album is Input/Output.

The band members stay true to their form with stage names such as Dewi Decimal and Pete Pythagoras. I couldn't locate any MP3s on their site, but here is their one SXSW track:

• Mathematicians - Binary Girl

Their SXSW-submitted description, I see now is: "Mathematicians, a trio of hmmm...well...eccentric professor types from Upstate N.Y. High energy, danceable, nerdy, synth punk." I was somewhat close in my description.

Who cares if your suit clashes
We're no dance floor fascists
It's 4 then 4 on the XY axis
Free your mind & wipe your eyeglasses

The only thing missing is fractals.

Three more songs and the calendar of upcoming shows listed here:
Mathematicians on MySpace.com

Online Radio

There are a lot of internet radio stations to choose from out there. And these listed below are just a few of the ones I have sampled...and greatly enjoy. Qualities I approve of are: easy layout for the user, FREE, listen directly online or via iTunes (no software to download), and first & foremost GOOD MUSIC.

It would be great for you to support them, ie. member donations, (which means less talkie for you) if you had some extra cash right now in your life. If not, then don't complain about the minimal ads, occasional requests for sponsors, etc.

KEXP 90.3 FM - Where the music matters. Beginning as a tiny 10-watt station back in 1972, KEXP has grown over the years into an innovative, influential cultural force in the Seattle community and beyond.

With the Playlist consisting of Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Neko Case, Wolfmother, T. Rex, The Raconteurs etc., this is the station for me. Click LISTEN LIVE in top left corner.
-Free (Member Supported). Play through iTunes.

woxy.com - The future of rock and roll. Broadcasts modern rock, progressive and alternative music on 97.7 FM from Oxford, Ohio.

Sample Playlist on their main channel consists of Radiohead, Zero 7, Weezer, The Wrens, The Magnetic Fields. But you can also listen to Woxy Vintage: OMD, David Bowie, PJ Harvey, REM, Aimee Mann. This 24/7 Vintage Channel is dedicated to the history of Modern Rock, Alternative and Punk music - from The Velvet Underground, The Clash, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and more. Either channels are good (and still free), but I think they'd really appreciate a contribution from you. Click [Listen Now] in top right corner, then click the small line in the pop-up: "Listen to free 24k Streams."
-Free (Member Supported). Play through iTunes. Pop-up Playlist.

Radio Paradise - Eclectic intelligent rock music online radio station, mixed modern & classic rock, electronica & more. Live playlist and listener community on website.

This is what my brother-in-law listens to at his house. It's nice and relaxing, but not boring. Here is the last six hours of their Playlist, to sample the variety of songs they play (maybe for older audiences, but I definitely would not call it easy listening). Artists include: My Morning Jacket, The Who, Bryan Ferry, Cat Power, Gomez. Also, as you click on the artist/song on that playlist page, you are directed to another page, which has much more info about the artist/song, an option to request the song, and their tour schedule link so you can see if that band is coming through your town anytime soon. Pretty cool.
-Free (Listener Supported). Play through iTunes.

Pandora - Find New Music, created by the Music Genome Project.
Can you help me discover more music that I'll like? Those questions often evolved into great conversations. Each friend told us their favorite artists and songs, explored the music we suggested, gave us feedback, and we in turn made new suggestions. We created Pandora so that we can have that same kind of conversation with you.

Basically, the premise of this site is that you enter the artist or song that you like, and Pandora creates a personal internet radio station custom to your likes, based on the band name or song you entered. From there, you can add more info - whether you like or dislike the selections they suggested, therefore helping Pandora evolve with your input as well as the input of others. It seems pretty fascinating! Jimmy just introduced me to it today. Example: I entered The Flaming Lips, and a few of the artists they added to my personal station were - Kaiser Chiefs, Doves, French Kicks, etc. The thing is, don't skip the music (the station will tell you not to, because you can listen to (or skip) only so many songs per hour), so just sit back & enjoy the music (which is not what I did, so I didn't really experience the introduction to its fullest). After you listen (or skip) the first 100 songs provided/suggested to you from your initial band/song, you do have to register for the site, but it's still free even then.
-Free. Plays directly on their web site.

Wolfmother

Three kids from Australia who rock - what more could you ask for.

Last year Wolfmother did a live performance at the ABC Studio 22. Listen to it on the Triple J web site for the month of May as part of Australian Music Month. Stream it live here. Listen to the song White Unicorn on the Wolfmother site, and then catch four other songs on their MySpace page. In each of their songs, you hear a different quality, a different influence: a bit of Ozzy, two parts Zeppelin, a pinch of AC/DC, and a dash of Jack White. Yet, with all their influential elements seeping through, all you hear is Wolfmother loud and clear rockin' out for you.

They recently played in Austin at the Parish. I didn't make it, but I heard they definitely rocked the house. There wasn't a doubt in my mind, though, that they would have given anything less than sensational. Check 'em out this month or next while they're still playing in the states.

Wolfmother on MySpace.com

ACL

The ACL lineup is here:

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Van Morrison
Willie Nelson
Massive Attack
Ben Harper
The Flaming Lips
The Raconteurs
The Shins
Ween
Thievery Corporation
Ben Kweller
G. Love & Special Sauce
Gnarls Barkley
Cat Power
Kings of Leon
Iron & Wine
Calexico
Aimee Mann
Galactic
The New Pornographers
Son Volt
The Secret Machines
Explosions in the Sky
Brazilian Girls
Gomez
Stars
Wolf Parade
Sparklehorse
Nada Surf
KT Tunstall
Goldfrappr
Buckwheat Zydeco
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Kathleen Edwards
What Made Milwaukee Famous
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Centro-matic
The White Ghost Shivers

And if you can't read this, watch the video here.

Diamond Nights

My favorite CD of the week, and yes I know, it's not new. But it's new to me, so bite it! (This was written in early March, I just take forever to post my entries!)

Think of it as Fu Manchu meets Billy Idol meets the Darkness. Yes, it's that good. (Which basically means they're entirely influenced by Thin Lizzy and everything else. But still...it's good!) Give it a gander. You can enjoy the entire album here online.

• Diamond Nights - Destination Diamonds
• Diamond Nights - The Girl's Attractive

Diamond Nights on MySpace.com