If in some parallel universe I’m in a band, I hope it’s a band like Body Hound. Not necessarily in terms of sound (although I’ll get on to just how much I love their sound in due time) but in terms of the love, energy and fun they bring into making and performing their music. I first saw them live playing a mid-afternoon festival slot (ArcTangent 2015) and they tore up the stage like they were headlining. The pantomime theatrics of ‘playing metal’ giving way to huge grins on their faces as they blasted through a woefully short but absurdly high quality oeuvre of tracks. I’ve seen them 4 times since that first show and every gig has lived up to the benchmark that first one set for me.
I don’t know if you, dear reader, are familiar with Rolo Tomassi (the previous band of 2 members of Body Hound) and in particular the song Unromance from their 2010 album Cosmology? If not, before you go on, have a listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McXWsmGqCzQ (the first 30 seconds will do, you can stop when the vocals come in). Now, I’m fairly certain that opening riff that comes crashing in over the drums is one of my favourite riffs ever written. The chaotic swagger as it bounces between time signatures, always slightly off kilter, building tension from bar to bar... It’s what first ignited my love for Math Rock/Math Core/whatever sub-genre you care to mention.
From the first notes, Body Hound’s debut ‘Rhombus Now’ (2014) brings this back in a BIG way. Album opener Vector Approaching is a maelstrom of poly-rhythmic, atonal aggression- like Yes played by Idles, a heady mix of Highbrow Art and Caveman Brutalism. This is followed by my favourite track: Systems, a frantic piece akin to malfunctioning Robotics. It’s a frenetic ride, filled with rigid order followed by harsh sporadic licks. Of particular note is the section from 45 seconds in, the whole band are pulling away from each other to such a point that it seems that the track is going to fall apart completely, rhythms fall over and a new level of dissonance is reached, before being bought back together on the last possible beat. It’s a beautiful moment. As is the extended drum-fill at 2:30 that gives way to chords with so much voicing you can feel the emotion emanating from the sound waves.
Track 3, Void, presents us with a short breather after the whirlwind of the first two tracks; A calm, steady bass line in 4/4 is slowly built on with drums and sparse guitar, picking out the essence of a melody. Like it’s namesake void draws you in though, and before you know it the pace has picked up and the Jazz is back, dragging you along with it. Each measure seeming to bring it with it new ideas and a whole new set of directions the track could take you next all the while never straying too far from that rolling bass-line that drew us into this carnage.
I’m not going to write a moment to moment analysis on every track, but suffice to say that the album keeps up its pace and creativity throughout its second half, presenting more ideas in a half hour, six track EP than most musical artists will have in their entire career.
Momentum, true to it’s word, set’s off at a blistering pace and doesn’t let up until the last beat. Perseus Arm let’s the rumbling apocalyptic Bass guitar take center stage and eponymous album closer Rhombus Now takes every thing we’ve learnt over the previous 5 tracks and takes it all up to 11, flitting between technical wizardry, crushing riffs and open space with reckless abandon.
It’s clear that these fellas know their stuff as throughout the dissonant chaos they never fail to inject meaning into their music and allow every instrument room to breathe when required, a singularly impressive feat for such a tempestuous act. You can listen to Rhombus Now here if it tickles your fancy: https://bodyhound.bandcamp.com/album/rhombus-now . The band also recently went back into the studio so we can expect new and exciting things from them this year.
For all the gushing I’ve done over this, it’s worth saying that as incredible as this album is, nothing compares to Body Hound’s live show and if you like this, you should really do yourself a favour and keep your eyes peeled for when there next playing near you, you won’t be disappointed.
Body Hound's take on prog/math rock can only be described as 'fun'. There are no boring riffs, played for an infinite stretch of time so you'll remember them instead of your own birthday. Instead, Rhombus Now's 6 tracks each display an original idea - all coming across as light hearted, albeit technically brilliant - that rapidly shifts over octaves; takes its time in hitting that sweet note; stops and starts; and brings the 4-piece together, melting guitar, bass and drums. It's the subtly of the riffs, however insane they sound, that create a backing to the alterations and smaller parts and riffs that are sprinkled throughout. It's easy to be varied when you're being technical, but Body Hound do a job of ensuring the technicality doesn't override the enjoyment factor - something that should be applauded in a genre that can take itself a bit too serious at times.
B.W.
