65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math (Review: Ben)

If pushed to say what I feel is the most integral part of any band or album, I'd have to think hard before probably answering vocals or lyrics. For me, vocals are the icing on the cake and make something which could be a bit dull come to life and have so much more meaning and feel to it. All of my favourite bands have frontmen who are incredibly important to the sound of the band and without these frontmen I'm not sure I'd bother listening to the band anymore. Take Alex Turner away from Arctic Monkeys, Dave McPherson from InMe or Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro and you're left with just a small part of what that band were. So, trying to dispell preconceptions about music not containing any vocals, I was extremely interested to hear what 65daysofstatic had to offer with 'The Fall of Math'.

I had imagined that this would be the sort of album that would pass me by without leaving any real impression. That the sound would simply wash over me and leave me with a sense of unfulfilment and a lack of desire to listen again. I couldn't have been more wrong. The first two tracks left me feeling ignorant about my assumption that this album would be empty and devoid of any emotion. I was stunned at how powerful music can be within this genre without vocals. It felt almost as if 65DOS didn't have the distraction of vocals and so could focus fully on writing the best music they can. So many times I've listened to bands who have had so much focus on the frontman that the actual music is boring and generic and could be anyone else in the world. 65DOS avoid this by creating their own sound which is encapsulating in itself and stand on its own without the need for a vocal. Sure, they're not the greatest musicians in the world and if Matt Bellamy, Dave Grohl etc got together and did a similar project the results would probably be much more enjoyable, but something about the raw sound of 65DOS makes them different and appealing in a way I've not found in a band before.

Moving on with the actual album, 'Retreat! Retreat!' and 'Swallowed Hard Like I Understood' are both absolutely outstanding tracks. They showcase the bands full potential fantastically well and sound as if the band are just enjoying making music which in the right context and arena could potentially be epic. Other highlights include 'The Fall of Math' and 'Hole' and I'd go as far to say that there isn't a single track I'd regard as a 'filler' track on the album. For me there is nothing worse than buying an album from a band and there being 4 outstanding tracks and 6 or 7 tracks where the band just amble through a song and you can tell it was nowhere near them at their best. 65DOS have produced an album which starts out brilliantly and raises the bar with every song.

However, despite how good I think this album is musically, I can't help but wonder what they could be with a vocalist. Our ideology of 'rock' music - for want of a better term - is that you have a drummer, a bassist, one or two lead guitarists and a vocalist. Without one of these integral pieces, it will always feel like there is a vital piece of the puzzle missing and I can't seem to shake that desire to hear what 65daysofstatic could produce with a vocalist added to their sound. For that reason I'm going to score this album as 8.5/10 but I will definitely continue to listen to their stuff and hope to seem them live in the not so distant future as well.

Ben