BUBBLEMATH

I like that they have BUBBLEMATH under Eclectic here. I just didn't think that the Avant tag worked. Yes they are complex and very proggy but not what I would call avant-garde. They have released three studio albums including their most recent "Turf Ascension" from 2022. It will be 30 years for them in 2025 as a band which is very impressive for this five piece band from Minnesota.

"Edit Peptide" is from 2017 and album number two of the three they have released. I must say the vocals don't do a lot for me, they are an acquired taste, and I have yet to acquire them. They can be theatrical, sappy or status quo but they are relentless.I am so tired of them by the end of the 64 minutes. Like listening to CARDIACS. Maybe that's why the opener in part is my favourite, but also the instrumental work is incredible. This album is really is a rollercoaster of a ride, and I guess I'm just not that adventerous. I still think their debut is their best, but just slightly over this one.

I couldn't get into BUBBLEMATH's first two complex and dense albums so I'm not sure what possessed me to pick this up recently. Oh yeah that flashlight keychain that came with it! I hooked it onto my car keys and I now have a BUBBLEMATH mini flashlight. Not since GURU GURU giving away a balloon and a button in one of their live archival releases have I felt so special. Also to be fair I read the comments that band leader and keyboardist Kai Esbensen said about allowing themes to linger longer instead of this turning on a dime constantly both vocally and instrumentally which are so not my thing and the reason I've had trouble with some of the CARDIACS stuff.

And he was right, the middle two tracks of the four presented here are not insane! There's is actually mellow bits and some space to breathe. This five piece is from Minnesota and one other thing Kai mentioned was how much time was put into the lyrics. They weren't an afterthought by a long shot, these are intelligent and over my head(doesn't take much) but hey incredible lyrics in an avant/pop setting what's not to like? Oh yeah not my thing but if it's yours this might be the best record you will ever hear in your life.

He gets asked about the cover art constantly not so surprisingly. Done by the bass player Kai calls them tangle monsters that you can look at while listening to the music and if you look hard enough at the knots and tangles it will reveal subtle references to each track(haha). This album is dominated by the vocals and while he is a good singer I am not into them so bottom line this one is all about taste and my lack of it apparently. Highly praised in the avant world I just have always had trouble with vocal dominated avant/pop. Go figure? The drummer is amazing though but the music is not my thing.

Very few people like prog rock. I like prog rock. When i was 13 i started out listening to Genesis, King Crimson, Yes... Then, a couple years later, stuff like Gentle Giant, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Pain Of Salvation... Then in my 20s Frank Zappa, Magma, Cardiacs and some other rarities. So now i'm in my 30s and it's hard for me to get surprised with any new musical discoveries. Somewhere between 2021 and 2022 i read a review of this album and gave it a listen. It was weird, i didn't like it at first... but i knew by experience that was a good sign and decided to be patient. I listened to it again and again until it became an obsession. I think this is one of the most original prog rock albums of the 21st century! It's hard to compare this band's style to other bands. It's very dense and complex sounding. The Gentle Giant and Yes comparisons are reasonable, Cardiacs may have been an influence. I find it somehow similar to The Gourishankar as well. But overall this album sounds like nothing else. Very unknown and also underrated. The music has a very anxious, neurotic feeling. There's unusual guitar and keyboard sounds throughout the whole album, giving it a very refreshing feel. This is not normal prog, this is a risk taking, very in your face musical attitude.

With this, the Minneapolis band has, in my opinion, taken a step backwards. The music is far less melodic, less quirky-fun, and less engaging than anything that I've heard from them before. The music is just more straightforward and vapid than before, as exemplified in the extremes of the two songs "Everything" and "Refuse". The former is trying to be melodic, simple and accessible but ultimately ends up just being monotonous and boring while the latter song, though definitely more in line with the quality and style of their previous work, is trying to be technically complex, clever, quirky, and relevant but fails to ever engage the listener because of its weak melodies and confusing twists and shifts that feel as if they're more for the sake of shifting and turning than they are for the effect of providing some constructive concrete structure for us to comprehend and maneuver within. Try as I might--over and over, in fact--there is nothing on this album that draws me back for repeated listening--whereas with 2017's Edit Peptide and their original debut release way back in 2001, Such Fine Particles in the Universe, there is so much joy, fun, and memorable music pulling me back time and again. (Both albums have earned--and sustained--firm places in my top 20 Album lists for their respective years.) Turf Ascension is a big disappointment for a much anticipated album and highly respected band. Perhaps they just didn't have the time and ability to truly focus and put their hearts into this one as they seemed to for their previous two.

I was chatting to keyboard player Kai Esbensen recently and mentioned I had never heard their 2001 debut, and he said he would send me a copy. I demurred, saying a download would be fine, but he was keen for me to have a physical version and as soon as it arrived I could see why. The rear cover shows the periodic table, but some are missing, and by running a finger over it one can feel that it is not that they have not been printed, but rather they have been cut out. Turn the digipak back to the front and there are the missing elements making up the album title, and again when running a finger over the name one can feel they have been added, while the band's name is also embossed. I was impressed and I hadn't even opened it yet, let alone listened to it! A huge amount of work has gone into the booklet, with each page containing the lyrics but very different in style to the rest and if this amount of work had gone into the presentation what on earth would the music be like?

The line-up in 2001 was exactly the same as it is today, namely Jonathan Smith (vocals, xylophone, guitar, flute), Blake Albinson (guitars), Kai Esbensen (keyboards), Jay Burritt (bass) and James Swensen-Flagg (drums), and even though this was the debut they were already demonstrating the ridiculous amount of talent they have, while also showing that progheads have a sense of humour (honest!). The throwaway "She's No Vegetarian" is a blast of fun at less then 3 minutes long (and is not the shortest song on the album), taking us into the late Sixties yet is very much the only song of that type on the album as though they refuse to settle within any one area for too long. Musically they were already demonstrating their love of experimentation and pushing boundaries in a way associated in the US with the likes of Zappa while in the UK we would look to Cardiacs, whose classic 'Sing To God' came out only five years before this.

However, Bubblemath are a band who have resolutely stuck to their own musical path and have continued to do so to this day, even though this has impacted on their output, and we have only had three albums in total in more than 20 years. But when music is as fine as this then who are we to complain? One never knows what is going to come next, but with songs generally quite short (there are 12 songs on the album which is only 45:23 in length and only one is longer than six minutes), one knows there is not too long to wait, and that intricacy will be involved. The music is complex, complicated and incredibly intricate, yet at the same time it is an album which can be enjoyed the very first time of playing with hidden depths being uncovered the more one listens to it. The arrangements are unreal, with musicians going off at tangents only for it to all make sense later, the result being both experimental and adventurous. Undoubtedly this will frighten off those who want their prog to be delivered in a carefully manicured Genesis/Floyd manner, but those who want their music to be running straight past any perceived boundaries would do well to give this a listen.

It took fifteen years for Bubblemath to produce their excellent second album, 'Edit Peptide', but it has only been five for them to release their third, 'Turf Ascension', which we should all be grateful for. There are less Cardiacs influences in this one, more Gentle Giant plus King Crimson, and a definite switch to the more melodic and less challenging while losing none of the quirkiness and charm one finds within their music. Apparently, this was a deliberate approach on behalf of the band who felt that possibly they spent too long on their second release, due in no small part to setting up their own recording equipment which allowed them to spend as much time as they liked without worrying about cost or being kicked out of the studio.

Just four songs, but only one of these has the temerity to be less than 10 minutes in length (by three seconds), yet when one falls headlong into the world of Bubblemath time has no meaning, as all that exists is their creation. While there are times when I am reminded somewhat of the commerciality of some 90's American prog, for the most part we are firmly in the UK with bands from the 70's and 80's but being lifted into the modern day and taken in new directions. It is eccentric, but somehow with more prog mainstream sensibilities so it is a very album to get inside and quickly fall in love with. I was talking to a musician the other day about his latest track, and he soon stopped talking about that and had I heard the latest release by Bubblemath? His feeling is that their songwriting has improved by light years from what they were doing on the debut album, but as I have yet to hear that I cannot really comment, except for saying that this is yet another exceptional release.

There are multiple threads, multiple melodies, all taking place at the same time, and it is an album where the listener concentrates on just one of these and it is only then that the real complexity comes out. For example, the drumming on "Everything" is a masterclass on what can be done behind the kit when the drummer wants to be a true musician as opposed to "just" keeping time, with James never stopping and always changing the attack and approach, but the same is true for every musician on every song which makes this such a dynamic and interesting album to listen to. Let us hope they keep producing material according to the new equation, so if this album was released in just a third of the time of the last one, I think the next one should be due out in 20 months? Please?? For those who have yet to uncover the sheer delights of this incredible Minneapolis quintet, then the time is now.

Bubblemath have returned and give us another superb taste of unique music, witty lyrics, and an excellent mix to boot. Some bands have influences that are noticeable in their music but that is not the case with Bubblemath. I can't think of any other band that sounds anything like this. And the amazing thing is, I believe making music is not any of the band members full time jobs. They write music when time allows and to create music like this, that soars above the norm... well, kudos dudes! Turf Ascension has four songs and clocks in just over 49 minutes. The journey starts with 'Surface Tension' the longest tune at almost 18 minutes. Such good vibes on this song changing from quirky to complex, light to dark, jazzy interludes, even some hummable hooks, a constantly evolving song. The instrumental break from 7 to 9 minutes into the song is jaw dropping. You never know where the music goes next so just hang on and enjoy the ride. Song of the year? I think so. The rest of the album is of similar quality and just as killer. Great musicians playing great music. I have listened to this three times and it is a grower. For me, this is the most difficult album Bubblemath has created so far. Their other two albums instantly resonated with me but Turf Ascension has more depth, more complex syncopation, counterpoint, and will likely take more time to appreciate.

The CD artwork is abstract and the gatefold digipack houses the lyrics. There is small blacklight keychain provided to the first few lucky ones who buy the album, so act fast. Another triumph for Bubblemath, easy 4.5 stars which I'll round up to 5.

I can see why this album took 15 years to make. Not a single song on this albums stays the same the whole way through, they all switch between different themes, riffs and melodies every few seconds. The tempo is constantly changing and the drummer keeps up very well, still being able to play very advanced beats at such varying speeds. I see there as being a much larger emphasis on the keyboards in this album than in their previous albums, the keyboards seem to be the main part of the instrumental sound. Still, the guitars had a very big role in this album, there were some seriously killer guitar solos on this record. I could not say that the vocals were perfect, but i dont suppose that matters because the vocals were not the emphasis of the album. All in all I think that Bubblemath are very skilled musicians and showed that very well in this album.

As for the songs themselves, i find this album slightly weaker than their previous work; the songs fell a lot more forgettable. Though the music was clearly impressive, i found the songs lacking. I think that the songs changed a little bit too much, which gives the listener very little time to hear the individual aspects of the each section. Still, this album is very great, just not as good as their debut. I would recommend this album to anybody who likes prog rock, especially if you like some of the more math rock type music.

This album is insane! I can't believe that they only have 150 listeners Spotify! This album never gets boring, there are so much great tracks here. From the grungy "Dance With Your Pants Down" to the creepy "Help Yourself To A Neighbor", this album has everything you could want from a prog rock album. "She's No Vegetarian" has a really nice classic blues rock vibe, and "Cell's Out" is probably the heaviest song on the album, plummeting through fast paced riffs with perfect accuracy. The drums are in my opinion one of the best parts of this album, moving through fast yet advanced rhythms all through the album. Yet, probably the best thing about this album would be he guitar solo in "Be Together" which uses the way pedal in a very innovative way, it completely blows my mind. All in all, this album is probably one of the best underground prog rock records you can find. I would recommend this album to literally any person on the planet. Five stars!

My introduction to this band was in the form of their 2017 masterpiece, Edit Peptide. What was remarkable about Edit Peptide was that it was first album release by the band since their 2003 debut! Apparently, the band members had quite a bit of trouble getting together to play, write, record, edit, and package their next album, but I'm glad they did.

Such Fine Particles of the Universe is a great album in its own right, though looking back through the lens of their sophomore release one can see how much their compositional and lyrical ideas have progressed since then. All of the songs are very cleverly worded, titled, and performed. Some of the music here is very melodic like CHEER-ACCIDENT [1. "Miscreant Citizen" (8.75/10), 2. "Be Together" (9.25/10), 6. "TV Paid Off" (8.5/10), 7. "Help Yourself to a Neighbor" (8.25/10), 11. "Potential People" (8.75/10), and 12. "Cells Out" (9/10)] while others are more avant-garde and comedic as if inspired by KING CRIMSON, Frank Zappa, Devo, or THE CARDIACS [3. "Dancing with Your Pants Down" (9/10), 4. "She's No Vegetarian" (10/10), 8. "Forever Endeavor" (4.25/5), 9. "Heavenly Scared So" (8.5/10), and 10. "Your Disease Is Nicer" (5/5)] or a combination of the two [5. "Doll Hammer" (8.75/10)] As a matter of fact, I'd say the King Crimson sound palette and Cardiacs singing-lyric style get stronger and more pronounced as you go through the album.

Another big difference between this album and Edit Peptide is the brevity of these songs--only two songs longer than five minutes and several barely around the three minute mark.

My top Three Songs: the hilarious 4. "She's No Vegetarian" (10/10); the incredibly tight weaves of 2. "Be Together" (9.25/10), and; 12. "Cells Out" (9/10).

B+4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of clever, very witty, truly progressive rock music.