Pretend
Tapestry'd Life

Math rock and emo are both terms I defined for myself a long time ago. Maybe I'm ignorant to how these genres have expanded but this record doesn't strike me as much of either. To me it sounds like melodic, ethereal, neo-psychedelic music. Two bands come to my mind, Talk Talk and Angel'In Heavy Syrup.

The best way I can describe this record is to compare to an excellent and complicated novel. There's two main ways it's very striking and beautiful. First, the wilderness created by the relationship between the percussion, guitar and vocals... it's like when authors try to weave several elements of plot together simultaneously, most either can't pull it off or have to step into a realm of discordance that equates to musical dissonance. This is like an author that can tell you three stories at the same time seamlessly. It moves along like it's meant to be together but if you took it apart you wouldn't understand how it's related. If you listened to any of the instruments or the vocals in isolation I doubt you could imagine how well it would work placed together. The way it all floats around and fits together is astonishing. It's like watching the clouds. The other way it's like a complicated novel is the sudden tempo switches. Usually when an author makes a sudden shift in plot it's disruptive and at least a little off putting. I don't mean twists but more like flashbacks or sequences that may or may not be real. This record incorporates many time signatures shifts but again it's not disruptive. Somehow it works every time. What should be rough edges are incredibly smooth.

At least 4 out of 5 stars. It would take more listens to go a full 5/5 but I can imagine it.

Heck, I'm just going to throw this in: This also reminds me of The Tin Drum. The album and the novel.

Looks like I've already been scarlet lettered on the main post. But, I wanted to say that I want to be back hopefully before July, but July at the latest. I work for a summer camp and June is almost always a ****show before the camps actually start.

In the mean time, I will personally create my own whip and flog myself for every album review I've missed and for each mediocre reception of my chosen album. It's only fair.

No you haven't. Your album was reviewed and I'm just waiting for your second choice. Only two people are coded red, and neither of them are you.

I started listening to the album and it's pretty great, but I didn't have time to finish it for a full review. I definitely will though. And yes, the drums are dynamic and badass.

It made my math rockish album I wanted to submit look really lame, so my next one will be Mdou Moctor - Afelan.

It really is a gem! Not much online presence either. How did you discover it, Exo?

Saw it on a random best of 2015 list and gave it a listen. The band themselves are very reclusive. They barely have any live performances and don't post on social media often or if ever. I don't have a facebook and I think they do but don't really post on it. They just released a new album/EP in April called "Circular Reasoning". I just picked up one of the 500 vinyl copies they printed off. It's a three track album with the last being the longest but more of a improvisational piece, or at least that's what it sounds like. Tapestry'd Life is definitely their most put together product. I love what they're doing. Very mysterious.

Do you mind saying what publication's best of list?

I believe it was actually the Reddit /r/listentothis best of 2015 post.

https://www.reddit.com/r/listentothis/wiki/bestof2015

Under Set 3.

Here's some

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/alb...yd_life/lists/

Is it the time signature switches that make it math rock?