REVIEW: BLACK MATH EXPERIMENT - ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD

When Jef of the Black Math Experiment sent us an email a while back with a copy of their new ep, it contained the disclaimer “this is the most emotional disc we’ve ever done, dealing mostly with loss and relationships.” We have to admit that we were intrigued, given that BME is a band that we mostly associate with a live performance centered around mirth, goof and high-energy shenanigans. That this jocular quintet has embarked on a path of ungleeful introspection is obvious throughout the disc, and it was almost enough to get us to weasel out of reviewing it because, well, we need bands like Black Math Experiment to be a consistent pinion of bulletproof fun. No one likes to hear about the sad clown, we want them to arrive in their tiny ass car and make you drop your cotton candy with their shtick.

But after more than one morning of waking up with the song "Everyone is Gay" pumping out its various parts into our various synapses, we thought – what the hell, let’s drag out the thesaurus and tell people about it. This song is really a gem and the stand out track on the ep (which is a statement, considering that hidden among the six tracks is a country-couch shuffle take on Nine Inch Nails’ "Animal"). If BME was hoping for a song that would get them out from under "You Can Not Kill David Arquette" and under the shade of another elm, this would be it. Even after repeated listens we can’t quite nail down if vocalist Christi Lain is bemoaning that a potential paramour is more interested in Outsmart magazine than her own classified ads, or if she simply feels left out because she’s stuck watching the parade rather than marching in it. If nothing, the song opens up those universal old wounds of waiting around to be included, of not knowing why you’re not cool enough to be in on the game or get the girl/guy. It sucks. They must be gay.

Built around an annoyed guitar riff and a Devo-esqe call and response bass repose, the song is stage, radio and car-ride friendly and counterweights the angrier and darker moments of the release, like the pissed off “Dirty” the drowning “Girl of My Dreams,” and the bemoaning ballad “Suit of Lights”. The signature BME sound is still there on these tracks: drums that sound just a bit too digital, keyboards that don’t really wanna chill on the back burner, guitar and bass that would like to be very much in your face, thank you very much. It’s doubtful that this new direction, thematically, will radically alter the group’s fan base, though "Everyone is Gay" has the potential to pick-up and run like Nerf Herder. We’re pretty aware that most people who read this site won’t quite get this record, or certainly won’t get into it. Indeed, if you’re annoyed that we’ve once again put off reviewing the Rustler debut, you prolly won’t want to pick All You Need is Blood up. But whatevz, we’re goofball nerds too.

The CD release party for All You Need is Blood is Saturday night at Rudyards, with a bill that includes Le Sed (who once opened for Twisted Sister) and MK Ultra, a political punk band that is apparently unaware of the Bay area band with the same name.

Stream: Black Math Experiment - Everyone is Gay