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