New Math a phrase that put fear into countless kids from my generation when our teachers brought out the New Math text books to replace the old math's ones, back for me in about 1972 or so I guess, the very phrase was scary. So naming your band after a much loved/hated/reviled school Text book might be why New Math failed to go stellar back in the bands heyday between 1979-83 in Rochester New York.
Coming from a small town that's had an interesting music scene, producing Lydia Lunch and Absolute Grey among many others and being home to the legendary Scorgies club, that apparently New Maths were regularly on the bill at. New Math were the opening act at the legendary Sabotage show by John Cale at The Penny Arcade that was one of my favorite John Cale Bootlegs. It's also enough to make me need to hear the music used to warm that crowd up. The bands core line-up was Kevin Patrick, Gary Trainer, Chris Yockel Mark Schwartz and Roy Stein. This compilation is of the bands early singles and demos for another great lost band.
The album opens with Die Trying a sparkling angular mod rock song, for lusty young men trying to seduce some local girl, while swearing they'd Die Trying if they are rebuffed again.
Johnny's On Top seems to be re-working Jim Carroll's All My Friends Are Dead, but instead is for a guy that always wants to be On Top with classic rockabilly guitars, a stomping beat, this has a familiar feel to the tale of speed maniacs hitting that wall. I can't believe this song hasn't been on heavy rotation here for the last 40 years, a true overlooked classic new wave hit.
Angela is a slow careful tale of how Angela tried to shock the world, in ways that may or may not echo that other Rochester legend Lydia Lunch, as they compare Angela to the heroines in Shangri La's songs before dying far too young, as this re-works some Shangri La's lyrics to good effect.
Hot Sounds is a classic radio pop song, the sort of tune we should all be singing along to, like it's a familiar old hit, with hints of Elvis Costello and Booker T & The Mg's, this has a blue-eyed soul edge to it.
Take To The Night go out on maneuvers, see if you can get caught in her web, will she fulfil your desires or leave you a burning wreck, you will need stay press trousers, a button down Ben Sherman, to have any chance of winning in this tale, hopefully some Oxfords, a pork pie hat, then maybe she'll run away with you, as the fairground organ signals a win.
Diana has a string section trying to make Diana come back to them once more, as they try to get her into a dark corner with them, so she can shine her love light on them once more, while trying some simple maths of desire, hope and regret for what went wrong.
Can't Get Off The Ground is a fast paced New York Dolls style piano led song, with plenty of sass as they complain of being anchored down in Rochester, without the means to really fly, to do all the things they dream of while being trapped in an economic prison.
The Restless Kind is sort of frantic running around like you're jumping and mumping the whole time, full of bombers and purple hearts fully invested in the new-mod lifestyle.
Consequence is about the trigonometry of love lust and crimes of passion. This has a Wurlitzer pub rock Graham Parker attitude to it.
Older Women is a rockabilly ska anthem for loving going out with Older Women, the rallying cry of many a smart young man. We all need an education in love and other things, perfect to skank along too while dreaming of your perfect Older Woman.
The album closes with When I Was Young (Live) that's every bit as speedy mod punk as the rest of the album, only now you can just about hear the audience singing the chorus with them as the organ drives everything on, as they pretend to be old enough to sing a song called When I Was Young.
Find Out More at https://links.propellersoundrecordings.com/newmath https://propellersoundrecordings.com/collections/pre-order-new-math-die-trying-other-hot-sounds-1979-1983 https://www.facebook.com/newmathsmusic
