YOU SLUT!

The Nottingham, UK based YOU SLUT! may have caught my attention through the sordid catchy band name and ridiculous song titles, but after experiencing their debut album 'Critical Meat,' i found that i actually like their unique brand of math rock with post-rock breakdowns quite a bit. While math rock in general can be, well too 'mathy' for its own good, once in awhile a band can hone all the elements into an interesting concoction that let's the music gel into an organic cohesiveness. Such is the case with YOU SLUT! whose musical promiscuity is every bit as randy as the average harlot on the streets of London.

While never making it to the mainstream in their ten years as a musical incorporation and forever relinquished to the obscurity vaults, the band released two albums with this second release MEDIUM BASTARD emerging six years after the debut. This album takes a different approach from its predecessor without compromising the nerdy math rock stop / start features and bizarre time signatures and tempo changes. For the most part MEDIUM BASTARD is a much heavier listening experience with more emphasis on sinewy-laden guitar chops turned up in volume as well as seriously adopting a much stealthier production value.

The compositions are more cleverly designed as well adopting more authentic post-rock influences that offer a nice build and crescendo approach that allow the math rock induced chops to feel like they have been given some spirit. Best of all, the tracks are actually quite catchy and have an underlying groove or melodic drive. Granted they are obfuscated by the slightly off-kilter chord progressions, dynamic shifts and tempo deviations, but isn't that what makes good math rock after all? While still instrumental without a vocal utterance to be heard, YOU SLUT! which consists of the quartet of Rhyll Styzer (guitar), Vanilla Christ (more guitar,) Sato D'Angelo (drums) and Marc Zwei on bass prove they can at the drop of the hat change from heavy distorted rock to calm placid clean guitar passages.

Some of the tracks are even progressive behemoths with 'Shopping Placenta' the perfect example of a super proggy math rock track that utilizes extreme degrees of time signature flashiness, dynamic shifts, unusual compositional liberties and satisfying builds, crescendoes and releases. This is a short album lasting less than 30 minutes but is the perfect length to experience this aggressive display of nerdiness in full regalia. YOU SLUT! does math rock right and if the subgenre of rock was as creative and interesting as these guys have made it to be, it would definitely make the playlist more often. If you crave some serious math rock chops with post-rock accessories, don't let the cheap floozy of a name throw you off. While the name and titles may be gimmicky, the music is the real thing. I like this band much more than i could've imagined!

91/100

I too was first attracted by the catchy band name and didn't expect much but was floored upon my first listening. Aside from having a great imagination in song titles, these guys are awesome musicians. But not only do they pack a lot when it comes to complex riffs, crazy time signatures and cunning transitions, the music they play sounds great. It's catchy -- just listen to the intro riff of 'Pie to the Death-Faced Indie Kid' that I must listen to everyday from now on and you'll see what I mean -- I love their sound, part-alternative, part-punk, part-metal, part-prog, part-their own, that seems a bit of a joke -- it's like Primus but more accessible -- they have a great share of feel -- since they play with a great dose of fun their music is fun to listen to -- and on top of all they add a sprinkle of psychedelia to their compositions, taking you from heavy riffs and crazy percussions to gliding sonic waves.

Spanning over less than half an hour, this album still feels like it has no weak spots, taking you from a crazy riff to another with cunning musicianship. Truly a great addition to anyone who likes metal's aggressiveness but regret its heaviness.

I may have been attracted to the catchy band name and crazy song titles initially but it is immediately obvious upon playing this debut release from YOU SLUT! That they are more than just a gimmick. What they deliver is a highly developed experimental and energetic take on math rock with some post rock leanings with their asymmetrical time signatures, angular riffs, constant changes in tempo and highly complex and often dissonant guitar, bass and drum interactions. The best part about all this is despite being fairly technical in performance this British quartet seems to be fairly lighthearted insisting above all that they are here to have a whole lot of fun doing what they do and not at all take themselves too seriously.

CRITICAL MEAT is short as albums go and although it's not officially called an EP it seems more logical to call it such. However, it seems the perfect length since this band really crams a lot into their music. They match the intensity of a metal band here with their aggressiveness, their tightness and their eagerness to race to the next idea. A surprisingly entertaining album and with intriguing song titles like 'Cut & Shut By You Slut!,' 'Pie To The Death-Faced Indie Kid,' 'On-The Spot Tina Turner Fine' and 'Mybloodyjesusexploreronfire' how can i resist such musical morsels? I am always happy to find bands that have a sense of humor and when it's backed up by some seriously good musicianship it is a good thing indeed. Math rock with a metal attitude and a sprinkling of spaciness. Great stuff!