Lines Taking Shape - Mixed Numbers EP

Lines Taking Shape

Mixed Numbers
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogan

Lines Taking Shape is as instrumental, progressive, math rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee.  Forming after the departure of their bass player they recently released the EP Mixed Numbers, which is a solid debut. The songs are inspired by bands such as The Town Needs Guns, Toe, and Don Caballero and if anything you should be impressed by the technical ability of the band. The odd signatures and precise timing to implement is needed here or the whole thing could fall apart. Everyone in the band excels at their instruments. However sometimes I felt as if this would have been better with enhanced production. This is the kind of music that needs hi-fi as the subtleties matter and it felt that could have been improved at times. You don’t need much of an attention span to enjoy these tunes as the parts are constantly changing.

The first song “GohangasalamiimalasagnahoG” (not a joke) showcases the guys playing in the pocket and grooving on a riff until they explode. Additional props to the drummer – man, he had some skills. The song changes about 40 times but that’s not a big deal as they have a consistent pallet of sounds. “Low- self Esteem Boat” was my favorite song as they rock out really hard and showcase some further experimentation that wasn’t apparent on the other songs. If you are looking for sing-a-longs you won’t find them anywhere on this EP but if you enjoy listening to technical proficient and induced progressive math rock you have come to the right place.

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