Math the Band

Math the Band
Don't Worry (Slanty Shanty)

5 stars out of 5

By Amanda Lee Anderson
Published: June 21st, 2009 | 7:00am

You may as well get up and start dancing. 'Cause once you hear Math the Band's Don't Worry, you're going to be doing it anyway — bouncing like you did in your best friend's basement when her parents were out of town and the local skate punk band played a show that became local legend because everyone had such a blast.

Fitting, then, that Math the Band deserves legendary status, too. Members Kevin Steinhauser and Justine Mainville positively bleed energy — so much so that their live shows have yielded them a total of seven broken bones — and they do it in a way that's not only palpable to a mere listener, but contagious. Go ahead, just see if you can listen without starting to jump around. We dare you.

They never play in minor keys. They never go below 120 beats-per-minute. The barrage of sound never stops or slows. Their nonstop onslaught of Atari-worthy synths, desperate potency, and breakneck tempos swelters with exhilaration, earnestness, and uniformity of energy. They have one setting: frenetic. This is a teen pop-punk band all grown out of their teen angst and into their electronic toys, without losing the infectious energy and vim that their punk rock roots yielded them. After all, they serve cupcakes, paint faces, and hand out balloons at their shows. What's not to love?

Math the Band say it best in the first track of Don't Worry, "Hang Out Hang Ten", setting the tone for everything you'll hear: "Everybody have fun tonight!" And it's true. If you're listening at all, it's impossible not to.

- Venus

Math the Band suck greasy elephant balls, I was told by a source. Turns out this source is stupid, or maybe he saw MTB on an off night. Those of the whimsically modernistic, could-be-from-Baltimore-but-aren't denomination to which MTB and Lima Research Society belong occasionally let their eccentricity get the better of them. On a good night, like this one, it gets the better of everyone else.

I was also led to believe that Math the Band, Boston's self-proclaimed premier Andrew W.K. cover outfit, is Kevin Steinhauser with a laptop. This has been true, but a week ago Monday we got a duo: Steinhauser on guitar and shouting and Justine Mainville on synthesizer, vocoder vox, and a floor tom. If they continue to emit this abundance of noise and raw energy, they'll doom themselves to a career plagued with reviews describing them as "hyper-kinetic," "frenetic," "manic," and other words that end with the letter "c." Unless they undergo an ill-advised radical change in direction, their velocious electroklash will keep getting likened to "what Rainbow Brite and her friends would sound like if they developed a meth habit and started a band." Mainville announced she was getting dizzy toward the set's end, which was graciously well before the Red Line shut down for the evening.

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/74968-Review-Math-the-Band-Lima-Research-Society/ - Boston Phoenix

Bonkers. There's no better word to describe the Rhode Island-based duo Math the Band. Kevin Steinhauser and Justine Mainville are a couple who make music with reckless abandon. In fact, the two play with such intensity during live shows, they've reportedly suffered seven broken bones and multiple stitches from thrashing around. Now that's a show. This cut is called "Tour de Friends," from Math the Band's new CD, Don't Worry.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2009/05/second_stage_math_the_band.html - NPR Second Stage

The old saying ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ has never seemed to hold so much truth until now. I’m going to admit that when I saw a photo of Math the band I instantly thought that it was just going to be a White stripes rip-off, and I have never been so happy to be proven wrong. I was shocked to hear that rather than pressing the play button and hearing Indie music, my headphones had been bombarded with music oddly reminiscent of the polyphonic ring tones that everyone used to love so much (they were annoying I know, but this album is far from that).

Originally started as the one man Microphone and computer project of Kevin Steinhauser, Math the band have come to evolve into so much more since starting out back in their high school days. Flash-forward to the present day and the boyfriend-girlfriend duo have delivered a refreshing and upbeat sound that can’t help but slap a grin on any listeners face. Math the band seem to be on a mission to deliver the message to just let loose and have fun, a similar motto to Andrew WK, who they have shared the stage with in the past.

‘Don’t worry’ is an extremely positive piece of work that in my opinion is best described as sounding a lot like the music from the old Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Sega but with vocals. Every song, propelled by the synthesizers and sequencers, produces layers of brilliantly rhythmic arpeggios along with powerful melodic riffs. If you’re a fan of old school style 8-bit sequencers and retro computer game music then this is definitely going to be worth a listen. Almost all the tracks are brilliant ‘Pop’ songs, the catchy choruses that are present in nearly all tracks are sure to stick in your head for days on end. From the albums opener ‘Hang out hang ten’ through to ‘The adventures of Brian Townsend’ (which is at parts a dance instructional song, bit like a techno Macarena). 'Don't Worry' is non-stop energy. These factors, as well as the general ‘feel good’ attitude that Math the band deliver make 'Don't Worry' an enjoyable listen for any music lover.

Despite ‘Don’t worry’ only being their second full-length release, Math the band have already made a name for themselves in music. Math the band pride themselves on their live shows that have been described by many as ‘intense’, with most shows resulting in the members obtaining a number of serious injuries and required medical attention.

Between their insane stage antics and their brilliant blend of punk based dance music, Math the band are an act to watch out for in the near future and hopefully this is just the beginning.

http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/109144-math-the-band-dont-worry-album.html - Altsounds