Albums I Won't Ever Shut Up About: Of Natural History (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum)

"And let us dream now, the impossible dream of a math professor..."



You know them as: That band I bring up when someone says they listen to "anything but country/rap".

Sounds a bit like: An art-house metal Broadway show about how much human beings suck

Sometimes, you want something different. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is different. And then some. With an anti-humanist theme, some intensely Satanic and apocalyptic overtones, and an almost schizophrenic musical style that seems not to know whether it wants to be metal, children's rhyme, Broadway musical number or religious hymn, Of Natural History is most definitely not for everyone. Lead vocalists Carla Kihlstedt and Nils Frykdahl each bring their own bizarre and wonderful flavor to the table—Kihlstedt with an almost childishly innocent wailing, Frykdahl alternating between harsh screaming voice and melodramatic Broadway lead. The instrumentation is...varied. The band members craft custom instruments to play on both the studio album and live performances, which creates an interesting experience no matter how you're listening to it ("frontman" Nils Frykdahl playing on a tiny children's piano is something that must be seen (if only on Youtube) to be believed).

It's not as avant-garde as some of the stuff out there (LET'S JUST MAKE A DRONING NOISE FOR THREE HOURS WHILE WEARING MASKS), but it's definitely weird.

Get it if: You're actually looking to broaden your musical palate; you want to freak your parents/grandparents/religious aunt out; you're extremely pretentious.
High Points: "The Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion", "Bring Back the Apocalypse", "Gunday's Child"

Albums I Won't Ever Shut Up About: The Fall of Math (65daysofstatic)

Sssssssssixty-five...



You know them as: "Playing Gears? Let's plug in my iPod..."
Sounds something like: The soundtrack to the end of the world, as played by ancient robots who secretly lament the fall of humanity

If any band exemplifies the term "post-rock", 65daysofstatic is it. "Post-" not only in terms of evolution but also in terms of feel, The Fall of Math is a discordant, layered masterwork that is a musical accompaniment to Armageddon. It might blow your mind. It is this band and this album that informed me just how broad the musical landscape was out there, and that there was a Promised Land in it for anyone willing to explore its lonely wilds and vast subterranean catacombs. At once rocking, haunting, and beautiful, The Fall of Math makes good use of heavy guitar and electronic samples with a smattering of piano, backed by some of the most insane drum structures you'll hear outside of the IDM genre...all without any distracting or out-of-place vocals. The drums, both live and programmed, really move the music, putting power and urgency into each and every song.Every track, the world is ending. We're losing the fight, or winning it. Something is going on.

Oh, and as you rush to the dropship, remember to reload your assault rifle so the angels guarding the landing zone have some covering fire.

Get it if: You want a soundtrack for Fallout, Gears of War, or Half-Life 2; you like drums but dislike vocals
High Points: "Retreat! Retreat!", "I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood", "The Fall of Math"

(Note: their second album, One Time for All Time, features "Await Rescue", hands-down one of my favorite songs ever and an exquisite battlesong.)

http://www.65daysofstatic.com/