The math-rock maniacs in Cinemechanica have always taken their sweet time. When the band first appeared in Athens, Ga., around 2002, irregular time signatures and head-bashing zig-zag riffs were, well, irregular for a pop-bent town. The Martial Arts wouldn't appear until 2006, and now, 10 years later, we finally have the self-titled follow-up: a meticulously arranged, deliriously deranged rock record that hulks out in cartoonishly fun style, mixed by Converge's Kurt Ballou.
"Hang Up The Spurs" leads off and leaves no room to breathe; it's a barreling post-hardcore barn-burner that splits the difference between Drive Like Jehu's switchback-riff insanity and Dysrhythmia's technical-metal wizardry. The band's core — drummer Mike Albanese (Maserati), guitarist Bryant Williamson (Bit Brigade) and bassist Joel Hatstat — is joined by guitarist/vocalist Jordan Olivera (Manray), with those live duties to be handled by Bryan Aiken (Lazer/Wulf).
The group's members had sent "Hang Up The Spurs" to their friend Travis Betz and forgotten about it. The filmmaker surprised Cinemechanica with this hyper-violent video made using construction paper — kinda his thing — of a border dispute gone horribly, hilariously wrong. Robots get stabby and a mad scientist with nothing to lose injects the the power of Medusa into the moon. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it doesn't have to. It's a badass video with a badass soundtrack.
Cinemechanica comes out Sept. 23 on Arrowhawk.
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