This Town Needs Guns - This Town Needs Guns [2008]

This self-titled record from This Town Needs Guns is some of math-rock at its finest, with all the technical guitars and intricate melodies you could ask for. Tim Collis rockets over the fretboard with some ridiculous ability but still is able to keep the overall mood very chilled out and relaxed, which is not easy to do. Singer/rhythm guiarist Stuart Smith's vocals are absolutely perfect for the music, his crooning slides gently from song to song and somehow adds a laid-back atmosphere to the most eccentric of pieces. It's hard to accurately describe this band's sound in one paragraph so I recommend you just download the album and hear it for yourself. Let me know what you think!

Genre: Indie Math-Rock
For Fans Of: Maps and Atlases, Dartz!, Tubelord
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. 26 Is Dancier Than 4
2. And I'll Tell You For Why
3. I'll Forget About You Throwing That Rock Cos That Dance Was Pretty Funny
4. 1470 Man
5. Want To Come Back To My Room And Listen To Some Belle And Sebastian?
6. If I Sit Still, Maybe I'll Get Out Of Here
7. Japanese Ultra-Violence In D-Minor (The Saddest Chord)
8. It's Not True Rufus, Don't Listen To The Hat



- A

This Town Needs Guns - Animals [2008]

Technical, intricate, and melodic, This Town Needs Guns rides on the forefront of the indie math-rock wave with their sophomore release "Animals." The 4-piece from Oxford is helping define their quirky and complex genre, taking math rock from the harder roots and putting a chill and relaxed feel to it. Hitting all the main indie math-rock points, This Town Needs Guns finds itself securely fastened to the genre, and they feel right at home with it. Tim Collis' incredible guitar work combines speed and complexity to work his way up and down the fretboard without missing a beat. Though eccentric guitars are important, the vocals can make or break a group, and fortunately Stuart Smith matches amazingly. His voice flows perfectly with the music, it's melodic and able to hit extremely high notes while still having a unique sound. But what would a band be without its rhythm? Thankfully Chris Collis (Tim's brother) and Jamie Cooper took over the parts of drums and bass, respectively, and fill in the blanks perfectly. The two accent the others' melodies and never become overbearing, which is EXACTLY what a rhythm section is supposed to do, and TTNG does it well. From start to finish this album impresses, creating one of the best indie math-rock records out there.

Genre: Indie Math-Rock
For Fans Of: Dartz!, Minus the Bear, Tubelord
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Chinchilla
2. Baboon
3. Lemur
4. Badger
5. Quetzal
6. Panda
7. Elk
8. Pig
9. Gibbon
10. Dog
11. Crocodile
12. Rabbit
13. Zebra



-A