Math rock

Math rock refers to a style of avant/noise rock that emerged in the 1990s. It is characterised by complex, atypical rhythmic structures, stop/start dynamics and angular, dissonant riffs. The style grew out of the broader noise rock scene active in Chicago, Washington, DC and Louisville. The Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, and Big Black are key influences to this genre, and the Slint LP Spiderland is catalyst in jumpstarting this genre.

Perhaps the most defining example of the sound, and the one most deserving of the mathematical allusion, is Chicago 4-piece Don Cabellero, who successfully blended heavy noise rock sounds with notable avant-jazz influences.

Craw offered a more metal-edged version of the sound, while also incorporating influences from early-20th Century Modernist composers.

By the turn of the 21st century, the genre had, like most musical movements identified in the ever-shifting and elusive underground rock scene, been roundly disavowed by any band labeled with the 'math rock' moniker. However, the influences of the movement can clearly be heard in the abiding avant/indie rock scene.