Math rock: Difference between revisions

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the body didn't mention how the genre was pioneered, and cites shouldn't be in the lead
 
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{{short description|Style of rock music}}
{{RockBox}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
'''Math rock''' is a style of [[rock music]] that emerged in the late [[1980s]]. It is characterised by complex, atypical [[rhythm]]ic structures, stop/start [[dynamic]]s and [[angle|angular]], [[dissonance|dissonant]] [[riff]]s.
{{Use American English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Math rock
| stylistic_origins = * [[Progressive rock]]
* [[indie rock]]
* [[post-hardcore]]
* [[Minimal music|minimal]]
* [[noise rock]]
| cultural_origins = Late 1980s, United States and Japan
| subgenrelist =
| fusiongenres =
| derivatives = * [[Mathcore]]
* [[midwest emo]]
* [[post-rock]]<ref name=postAM>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=style|id=post-rock-ma0000002790|pure_url=yes}}|title=Post-Rock Music Genre Overview|access-date=December 24, 2016|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
| regional_scenes =
| other_topics = * [[Experimental rock]]
* [[jazz fusion]]
}}
 
[[File:Albini_atp.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Steve Albini]] was an influence in the math rock genre.]]
==Characteristics==
The aforementioned characteristics are seen by some to give mathematical character in their complexity. Musically, math rock derives from other rock genres, including [[rock music|rock]], [[heavy metal]], or [[punk rock]]. Math rock often sounds familiar but somehow "off," it fits into those genres but is never a classic example.
 
'''Math rock''' is a style of [[Alternative rock|alternative]] and [[indie rock]]<ref name=AMG>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=style|id=math-rock-ma0000012250|pure_url=yes}}|title=Math Rock Music Genre Overview|access-date=October 23, 2016|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> with roots in bands such as [[King Crimson]] and [[Rush (band)|Rush]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rush : song by song|last=Body, Alex E.|isbn=978-1-78155-729-7|___location=[Stroud, Gloucestershire, England]|oclc=1088907970|date = June 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Progressive rock reconsidered|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|others=Holm-Hudson, Kevin.|isbn=0-8153-3714-0|___location=New York|oclc=45890399}}</ref> It is characterized by complex, atypical [[rhythm]]ic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), [[counterpoint]], odd [[time signatures]], and [[extended chord]]s. Bearing similarities to [[post-rock]], math rock has been described as the "opposite side of the same coin". Opting for a "[[rock music|rockier]]" approach to songwriting and [[timbres]], the style is often performed by [[music ensemble|smaller ensembles]] which emphasize the role of the [[guitar]].<ref name="AMG" />
Musicians who turn purposely to [[mathematics]] to find new creativity in their music are math rockers. They manipulate, twist and [[syncopation|syncopate]] to confuse, to delay, to create something that is a twist on rock, punk, or pop, something familiar but "wrong," something new. Like anything there are exceptions, but one universal natural side effect is that math rock is often favoured by those who are [[analysis|analytical]] in nature.
 
== History and precursors ==
Lyrics are generally not the focus of math rock; the voice is just another sound in the mix. Often, lyrics are not [[overdub]]bed, and are positioned low in the mix, much in the style of [[Steve Albini]].
 
The albums ''[[Red (King Crimson album)|Red]]'' and ''[[Discipline (King Crimson album)|Discipline]]'' by [[King Crimson]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sodomsky |first1=Sam |title=King Crimson Red |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/king-crimson-red/ |website=Condé Nast |publisher=Pitchfork |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Dominique |last=Leone |date=21 Nov 2002 |title=The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=5 |work=Pitchfork |access-date=16 Mar 2021}}</ref> as well as ''[[Spiderland]]'' by [[Slint]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stablein |first1=Lee |title=Under The Influence #24: Lapsarian on "Spiderland" by Slint! |url=https://metalnoise.net/2019/12/under-the-influence-24-lapsarian-on-spiderland-by-slint |website=Metal Noise |access-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> are generally considered seminal influences on the development of math rock. The Canadian [[punk rock]] group [[Nomeansno]] (founded in 1979 and inactive as of 2016) have been cited by music critics as a "secret influence" on math rock,<ref>{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r14208/review|pure_url=yes}} | title=Live and Cuddly | access-date=August 1, 2007 | publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> predating much of the genre's development by more than a decade. An even more avant-garde group of the same era, [[Massacre (experimental band)|Massacre]], featured the guitarist [[Fred Frith]] and the bassist [[Bill Laswell]]. With some influence from the rapid-fire energy of punk, Massacre's influential music used complex rhythmic characteristics. [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]]'s 1984 album, ''[[My War]]'', also included unusual [[polyrhythm]]s.<ref name="Blush2010">{{cite book |last = Blush |first = Steven |author-link=Steven Blush |title = American Hardcore: A Tribal History |chapter = Black Flag & SST: Thirsty and miserable |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PFJjCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA72 |year = 2010 |publisher = [[Feral House]] |___location = Los Angeles |isbn = 978-1-932595-98-7 |page = 72 |quotation =... its seven-minute Metal dirges and Fusion-style time signatures confused many fans. }}</ref>
==Development==
While a few bands of the 1970s and 1980s such as [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], [[Gentle Giant]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]] and [[Pink Floyd]] had experimented with unusual meters, such groups were generally grouped under the heading [[progressive rock]].
 
Two songs on [[Yes (band)|Yes]]' album ''[[Fragile (Yes album)|Fragile]]'' (1971) have drawn attention – [[Paul Lester]] of ''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]'' writes that "[[Five Per Cent for Nothing]]" finds drummer [[Bill Bruford]] "inventing math rock",<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |title=Yes: Fragile |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/yes-fragile-1 |website=Classic Rock |access-date=6 August 2024 |date=27 November 2015}}</ref> while "[[Heart of the Sunrise]]" was described by ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Chris Dahlen, [[Dominique Leone]] and Joe Tangari as "a deftly constructed proto math-rock epic".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11869-the-yes-album-fragile-close-to-the-edge-tales-from-topographic-oceans-relayer-going-for-the-one-tormato-drama-90125/#review-album-13614/ |first1=Chris |last1=Dahlen |first2=Dominique |last2=Leone |first3=Joe |last3=Tangari |date=8 February 2004 |title=Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Yes: ''The Yes Album'' / ''Fragile'' / ''Close to the Edge'' / ''Tales from Topographic Oceans'' / ''Relayer'' / ''Going for the One ''/ ''Tormato'' / ''Drama'' / ''90125'' |publisher=Pitchfork |access-date=19 January 2008}}</ref>
In the 1990s a heavier, rhythmically complex style grew out of the broader noise rock scenes active in [[Chicago]] and other Midwestern cities, with influential groups also coming out of [[Japan]] and Southern California. These groups shared influences ranging from the music of 20th century composers such as [[Igor Stravinsky]], [[John Cage]], and [[Steve Reich]], as well as the chaotic free-jazz approach of [[John Zorn]]'s ''[[Naked City]]'', and critics soon dubbed the style "math rock."
 
[[Polvo]], [[Don Caballero]], [[Slint]], [[Bitch Magnet]], [[Bastro]] and [[Ruins (Japanese band)|Ruins]] are the genre's pioneers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-04 |title=Read An Exclusive Excerpt From The New Book 'Math Rock' By Jeff Gomez |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2257843/math-rock-jeff-gomez-excerpt/columns/sounding-board/book-club/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldner |first=Sam |title=Hella: Hold Your Horse Is (Deluxe Reissue) |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hella-hold-your-horse-is-deluxe-reissue/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Midwestern groups===
Many math rock bands have enlisted Chicago-based engineer [[Steve Albini]] to record their albums, giving a likeness in raw sound within the genre, as well as lumping his bands past and present, [[Shellac (band)|Shellac]], [[Rapeman]], and [[Big Black]] into the pigeonhole as well. Also, many math-rock bands happen to release their records on Chicago-based [[Touch and Go Records]], or one of its sister labels, Quarterstick, [[Skin Graft]], etc.
 
Examples of modern math rock bands include [[Delta Sleep]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Delta Sleep Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/delta-sleep-mn0003086342 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> [[Yvette Young|Covet]],<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Michael Astley-Brown |date=2023-04-05 |title=Yvette Young names the 10(+) guitarists who shaped her sound |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/yvette-young-names-the-guitarists-who-shaped-her-sound |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}</ref> [[Tricot (band)|Tricot]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tricot Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More {{!}} Al... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tricot-mn0002921789 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> and [[TTNG]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=This Town Needs Guns Songs, Albums, Reviews, B... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/this-town-needs-guns-mn0001059202#biography |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref>
Some key bands of this period include [[Bastro]], [[Lynx (band)|Lynx]], [[Table (band)|Table]], [[Polvo (band|Polvo]], [[Cheer-Accident]], [[Shellac (band)|Shellac]], and [[Breadwinner]]. Also out of the Chicago area, in nearby De Kalb, Illinois, [[U.S. Maple]], which formed out of the ashes of the [[Jesus Lizard]]-esque [[Shorty]], U.S. Maple took a more deconstructive approach to their brand of rock music, similar to that of [[Captain Beefheart]]. Their music takes a free-form approach to rhythm, with songs only occasionally coalescing into conventional rock beats. Thus, aesthetically, the group is not as "mathy" as other bands in the genre, but the same thought process of dismantling rock music still applies.
 
== Characteristics ==
Several other math rock groups of the 1990s, all characterized by extreme rhythmic complexity and sonic brutality, were based in Midwestern cities: Cleveland's [[Craw]] and [[Keelhaul]], [[St. Louis]]'s [[Dazzling Killmen]], and [[Minneapolis]]' [[Colossamite]].
 
Math rock is typified by its rhythmic complexity, seen as ''[[mathematical]]'' in character by listeners and critics. While most rock music uses a {{Music|time|4|4}} [[Meter (music)|meter]] (however [[Accent (music)|accented]] or [[Syncopation|syncopated]]), math rock makes use of more non-standard, frequently changing [[time signature]]s such as {{Music|time|5|4}}, {{Music|time|7|8}}, {{Music|time|11|8}}, or {{Music|time|13|8}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Progressive rock reconsidered|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|others=Holm-Hudson, Kevin.|isbn=0-8153-3714-0|___location=New York|oclc=45890399}}</ref>
===Don Caballero and Pittsburgh groups===
The city of [[Pittsburgh, PA]] was infamous for the genre of "math-rock" due to perhaps the most defining example of the sound, and the one most deserving of the mathematical designation, was the [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]] four-piece [[Don Caballero]], who successfully blended heavy noise rock sounds with avant-garde [[jazz]] influences and the fierce non-stop drumming of Damon Che. Obviously, the band despised the label that critics dubbed them. Even so, it should come as no surprise that a member of another [[Pittsburgh]] band, [[Hurl (band)|Hurl]], did time in Don Caballero's revolving door of bass players. Guitarist Mike Banfield has noted [[Breadwinner]] to be an important early influence on the band's sound. Their other guitarist, Ian Williams, drew quite heavily from the minimalist works of [[Steve Reich]], shown especially in the group's final release, ''[[American Don]]''. Williams has taken this approach further with his newest outfit, [[Battles (band)|Battles]].
Don Caballero disbanded in 2001 after a van accident that abruptly ended their support tour of ''[[American Don]]''. However, drummer, Damon Che, reformed the band with members of Pittsburgh-based math-rockers, [[Creta Bourzia]] in 2004.
 
As in traditional rock, the sound is most often dominated by guitars and drums. However, drums play a greater role in math rock in providing driving, complex rhythms. Math rock guitarists make use of [[tapping]] techniques and [[Live looping|loop pedals]] to build on these rhythms, as illustrated by songs like those of math rock supergroup [[Battles (band)|Battles]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Battles: Math rock made with room for improvisation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/battles-math-rock-made-with-room-for-improvisation/2015/10/15/bafefbd6-6d29-11e5-aa5b-f78a98956699_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=December 5, 2024 |quote=Battles is rooted in the irregular time signatures and guitar tapping of math rock, but the experimental trio is constantly pushing sonic boundaries.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonard |first=Colin |date=2011-06-07 |title=A math-rock supergroup loses its voice, and gets some soul |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2011/06/a-math-rock-supergroup-loses-its-voice-and-gets-some-soul-068341 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>
===San Diego groups===
Formed in [[1990]], [[San Diego]]'s [[Drive Like Jehu]], which featured the off-kilter guitar of [[John Reis]] from [[Rocket from the Crypt]] was a blistering, shining example of technical rock music, highly demonstrated on the band's swan song, ''[[Yank Crime]].'' The group disbanded in [[1994]]. Other bands likened to Jehu out of San Diego at the time were [[Antioch Arrow]], [[Clikitat Ikatowi]], and [[Heavy Vegetable]], the latter having a more melodic approach than the previous two, which features the songwriting genius of [[Rob Crow]] who was able to fuse melody and harmony as well as complex rhythms seamlessly.
 
[[Lyrics]] are generally not the focus of math rock; the voice is treated as just another instrument in the mix. Often, vocals are not [[overdub]]bed, and are positioned less prominently, as in the recording style of [[Steve Albini]].{{cn|date=December 2024}} Many of math rock's best-known groups are entirely [[instrumental rock|instrumental]] such as [[Don Caballero]] or [[Hella (band)|Hella]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hella Biography by Bradley Torreano |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hella-mn0000672835#biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=December 5, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Don Caballero Biography by Steve Huey |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-caballero-mn0000796811#biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=December 5, 2024}}</ref>
===Japanese groups===
Several math rock groups from Japan developed close relationships with Chicago's Skin Graft label, leading to a cross-fertilization between the math rock scenes in the two nations. The most important Japanese groups include [[Zeni Geva]] and [[Ruins (band)|Ruins]], with [[Yona-Kit]] being a collaboration between Japanese and U.S. musicians.
 
A significant intersection exists between math rock and [[emo]], exemplified by bands such as [[Tiny Moving Parts]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2014 |title=A Tiny Interview with Tiny Moving Parts |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-tiny-interview-with-tiny-moving-parts/ |website=VICE}}</ref> or [[American Football (band)|American Football]], whose sound has been described as "twinkly, mathy rock, a sound that became one of the defining traits of the emo scene throughout the 2000s".<ref>{{cite web|title = Never Meant: The Complete Oral History of American Football |url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/never-meant-the-complete-oral-history-of-american-football/|website = NOISEY| date=February 2, 2016 |access-date = February 2, 2016}}</ref>
===DC groups===
[[Washington, D.C.]] also somewhat contributed to the sound of math rock with the bands [[Frodus]], [[1.6 Band]], and [[Circus Lupus]] among some others. The latter is said to have influenced the sound of early [[Q and Not U]]. However, since D.C.-oriented bands tended to throw in odd-meters into their already eclectic mix of influences, some were branded with the genre name.
 
==Etymology==
===The Louisville sound===
The term began as a joke but has since developed into the accepted name for the musical style. According to [[Matt Sweeney]], singer with [[Chavez (band)|Chavez]], the term started because his friend would not react at all while listening to his music, then proceed to take a calculator out to figure out how good the song was.<ref>{{cite web |last=LeMay |first=Matt |date=August 12, 2006 |title=Interview: Chavez |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6502-chavez/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109091530/https://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6502-chavez/ |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |access-date=July 17, 2015 |publisher=[[Pitchfork (website) | Pitchfork]] |quote=[Math rock] was invented by a friend of ours as a derogatory term for a band me and James played in called Wider. But his whole joke is that he'd watch the song and not react at all, and then take out his calculator to figure out how good the song was. So he'd call it math rock, and it was a total diss, as it should be.}}</ref> Not all critics see math rock as a serious sub-genre of rock, and some of the genre's most notable acts have disavowed the term.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The rock snob*s dictionary : an essential lexicon of rockological knowledge|last=Kamp, David.|date=2005|publisher=Broadway Books|others=Daly, Steven, 1960-|isbn=0-7679-1873-8|edition=1st|___location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/rocksnobsdiction00kamp/page/69 69]|oclc=55990376|url=https://archive.org/details/rocksnobsdiction00kamp/page/69}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldner |first=Sam |title=Hella: Hold Your Horse Is (Deluxe Reissue) |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hella-hold-your-horse-is-deluxe-reissue/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[Slint]], a young band out of Louisville, released ''[[Spiderland]]'' in 1991, which is considered an extremely influential landmark album to not only math rock but across the underground music network and beyond. The short-lived group's sound, based on the interlocking of multiple "clean" (non-distorted) guitars playing in generally compound meters, was more sedate and not as metal-influenced as most other math rock groups, and thus its style (and those of its imitators) represents a separate branch of the category. Several groups which followed Slint's lead also used unusual meters; such bands include [[Bitch Magnet]] [[Rodan (band)|Rodan]], [[The For Carnation]], [[June of 44]], [[Sonora Pine]], and [[The Shipping News (band)|The Shipping News]].
==Artists==
{{see also|List of math rock groups}}
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2021}}
 
==Contemporary= mathAsian rock===
Math rock has a significant presence in Japan; the most prominent Japanese groups include [[Toe (band)|Toe]], [[Tricot (band)|Tricot]], The Cabs, and [[Lite (band)|Lite]].<ref name=Weekender>{{cite web |title=A Complete Guide to Japanese Math Rock |url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2020/02/brief-guide-japanese-math-rock/ |website=Tokyo Weekender |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=19 February 2020}}</ref> Other Japanese groups which incorporate math rock in their music include [[Ling Tosite Sigure]],<ref>{{cite web |title=10 indie bands from Asia you need to know |url=https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/music/10-indie-bands-from-asia-you-need-to-know |website=Time Out Hong Kong |date=November 27, 2019 |access-date=27 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> [[Zazen Boys]]<ref name=Weekender /> and [[Mouse on the Keys]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Mouse On The Keys live in KL {{!}} Music in Kuala Lumpur |url=https://www.timeout.com/kuala-lumpur/music/mouse-on-the-keys-live-in-kl |website=Time Out Kuala Lumpur |date=August 3, 2015 |access-date=27 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> while the [[Japanoise]] scene features bands such as [[Ruins (Japanese band)|Ruins]], [[Zeni Geva]], and [[Boredoms]].<ref name=Weekender />
By the turn of the [[21st century]], the genre had, like most musical movements identified in the ever-shifting and elusive underground rock scene, been roundly disavowed by any band labeled with the 'math rock' moniker. However, the influences of the movement can clearly be heard in the abiding avant-garde and [[indie rock]] scenes. Present-day bands have still managed to be tagged with the "math-rock" label today include [[Oxes]] out of [[Baltimore]], [[Midiron Blast Shaft]] out of [[Philadelphia]], [[Yowie]] hailing from [[St. Louis]], and [[Big Bear]] from [[Boston]].
 
Taiwan has a very small indie music scene, of which math rock is an emergent genre that is quickly gaining in popularity, with well-known math rock bands including [[Elephant Gym]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robson |first=Daniel |date=6 August 2022|title=INTERVIEW - Taiwan's Math Rock Heroes Elephant Gym: 'We Can All Resonate Together in Music' |url=https://japan-forward.com/interview-taiwans-math-rock-heroes-elephant-gym-we-can-all-resonate-together-in-music/ |access-date=22 October 2022|website=japan-forward.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
A closely-related genre is [[post-rock]], into which some of these same bands are classified; post-rock, though, tends to be defined by a softer-edged, more jazzy and melodic sound.
 
Math rock also has a presence in South Korea, led by bands such as [[Cotoba]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vélez-Cancel |first=Carlos |date=16 April 2024|title=WFA: cotoba |url=https://everythingisnoise.net/weekly-featured-artist/wfa-cotoba/|access-date=4 October 2025 |website=everythingisnoise.net|language=en}}</ref> and [[Dabda]].
==Math rock artists and groups==
Many bands have albums that as a whole are not math rock, but contain good examples in single songs.
 
=== North American ===
{{Main|List of Math rock groups}}
[[Polvo]] of [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]] is often considered one of the household names in math rock, although the band members themselves have disavowed the categorization.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://creativeloafing.com/content-160914-you-can-call-polvo-math-rock-but-the-numbers-just-don-t-add |title=You can call Polvo math rock, but the numbers just don't add up |author=Redford, Chad |work=[[Creative Loafing]] |access-date=October 3, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812060217/http://clatl.com/atlanta/you-can-call-polvo-math-rock-but-the-numbers-just-dont-add-up/Content?oid=1276608 |archive-date=August 12, 2011 }}</ref>
 
In California, [[power pop]] groups [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]] and [[the Loud Family]] were both led by [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]], who was said to "tinker with [[pop music|pop]] the way a born mathematician tinkers with numbers".<ref name=nyt1993>{{cite news |last = Schoemer |first = Karen |title = Sounds Around Town: Miller Writ Loud |date = April 2, 1993 |newspaper = [[New York Times]] |url-status = live |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/02/arts/sounds-around-town-832093.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131113235140/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/02/arts/sounds-around-town-832093.html |archive-date = November 13, 2013 }}</ref> The origin of Game Theory's name is mathematical, suggesting a "nearly mathy" sound cited as "IQ rock."<ref name=amar-mwh>{{cite journal |last = Amar |first = Erin |title = Music: What Happened? Scott Miller on 50 Years of Singles in 258 Pages |date = July 2011 |journal = Rocker Magazine |url = http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/04/scott-miller-music-what-happene |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131101183016/http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/04/scott-miller-music-what-happene |archive-date = November 1, 2013 }}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Mathcore]]
*[[Post-rock]]
*[[Tech metal]] (also known as Math metal)
 
Although the Seattle [[grunge]] scene was not widely associated with math rock, some consider [[Soundgarden]] to be one of few exceptions, due to the odd time signatures found in many of their songs.<ref>{{cite web|title = WAS SOUNDGARDEN A MATH ROCK BAND? |url = https://feckingbahamas.com/focus-was-soundgarden-a-math-rock-band|website = feckingbahamas| date=July 9, 2019 |access-date = December 19, 2023}}</ref>{{relevant?|date=December 2024}}
==External links==
*[http://www.epitonic.com/genres/mathrock.html A list of math rock bands on www.epitonic.com].
*[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=math%20rock Another list of math Rock bands on www.everything2.com].
*[http://www.mathrock.com/ www.Mathrock.com].
 
== See also ==
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:Alternative music]]
* [[List of musical works in unusual time signatures]]
[[Category:Mathematics]]
* [[Mathcore]]
* [[Music and mathematics]]
* [[Noise rock]]
* [[Post-hardcore]]
* [[Progressive metal]]
{{div col end}}
 
== Notes and references ==
{{rock}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last = Dale |first = P. |title = Anyone Can Do It: Empowerment, Tradition and the Punk Underground |publisher = Taylor & Francis |series = Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series |year = 2016 |isbn = 978-1-317-18024-1 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PZgGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT237 |page = pt237– }}
* {{cite web |last = Eberhart |first = Max |title = Calculating the Influence of Math Rock |website = [[The Santa Clara]] |date = September 29, 2016 |url = http://thesantaclara.org/calculating-the-influence-of-math-rock/ |access-date = October 3, 2016 |archive-date = October 1, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161001143249/http://thesantaclara.org/calculating-the-influence-of-math-rock/ |url-status = dead }}
* {{Cite book |last=Gomez |first=Jeff |title=Math Rock |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2024 |isbn=979-8765103371 |publication-date=2024}}
 
== External links ==
*{{AllMusic|class=|id=style/ma0000012250|label=Math Rock}}
 
{{Alternative rock}}
{{Experimental music}}
{{Portal bar|Rock music}}
{{authority control}}
 
[[Category:Math rock| ]]
[[Category:Alternative rock genres]]
[[Category:Mathematics and culture]]
[[Category:Post-hardcore]]
[[Category:American styles of music]]