WOOHOO!

In March 2014 this US band CHON released their second EP which is a bit different from the first one and in my humble opinion, represents a step forward on the band's creative process. This EP entitled Woohoo! can also be found and listened on their bandcamp site, so if you want to have 16 minutes of nice music, you can go and have fun with these six-song release.

The first track is a nice introduction that does not represent the band's sound, instead they bring us acoustic guitar moments that let us know the guitar man's skills. With "Knot" the math rock element appears but perfectly blend with a jazzy and fusion style, something that I think was not that evident on their first EP. "Ecco" has another new element: vocals. For the first time they put voice and lyrics on one of their pieces, and they do it nice. The rhythm is semi slow, charming and sensual at the same time. Easy to dig, a bit poppish but nice anyways.

"Sketch" offers the (I think) true CHON sound. Pure math rock with some djent and jazzy nuances. There are both fast and slow moments that are perfectly structured by these four musicians who know how to take advantage of their guitars, bass and drums. This is probably my favorite track from their two EPs.

"Dust" is a softer track, once again they bring acoustic guitar giving us a moment of relaxation and why not, introspection. Finally "Suda", which is a nice math rock track that ends this nice EP. With this improvement, I am now sure that their full-length album (which I am yet to listen) will bring me a positive experience.

*Now don't pay attention to my rating, because as a reviewer I have my "own rules" which don't allow me to rate releases under 20 minutes with more than 2 stars, unless it is the EP or single of my life.

Enjoy it!

The sophomore outing by the spunky Math Rockers from southern California is another very short EP, sixteen minutes from start to finish. But these guys apparently enjoy working in concentrated spurts of caffeinated energy, and they pack a lot of detail into this abbreviated set.

The EP's title spells out their collective exuberance; the music itself does likewise, in five brief instrumental workouts plus one actual song, all of them models of polyrhythmic economy: bright and busy, but otherwise hard to define. The reliably misinformed Wikipedia cluelessly labels them a "progressive metal band". On the band's Facebook page, under the heading 'genre', they define their own style with an unfussy "doesn't matter", quote unquote.

That's a very healthy attitude for a quartet of precocious young musicians barely out of school, in just two words revealing a sense of modesty and confidence rarely found in a digitized generation typically obsessed with its social network insecurities, especially inside the hive-minds of Facebook and Twitter. Or is that just the ageism of a born-again Luddite rearing its grizzled head again?

The music is full of jazzy hyperactive ornamentation, while still managing to be surprisingly melodic. The group doesn't outstay its welcome, and won't burden the listener with any concept or message beyond the uncomplicated optimism of their music, and the joy they take from playing it. And if that isn't a hallmark of truly progressive (as opposed to Prog) Rock, I don't know what is...