X-Ray Press – Uvb-76

X-Ray in Stereo

X-Ray Press have obliterated the previously well-defined genre of math rock with Uvb-76, crafting their own way through spastic time signatures and irregular use of instrumentation as noise. The four-piece is obviously musically talented and it seems that instead of applying themselves to convention and typical song structure/chord progression, they have developed their own overbearing genre-bending style.

Unlike typical math rock releases, the 18-track album is not a colossal 6-hour undertaking, the entire album measuring in at just under 45 minutes. However, far from detracting from the inventiveness and creativity of X-Ray Press’ sound exploration, it actually benefits from shortened track lengths. They make the album more accessible to a growing audience who may struggle with the 12-minute sagas transposed by Don Caballero and Giraffes? Giraffes!

Although creating an album that matches the work of its peers punch for punch, X-Ray Press have made an accessible album in a genre that prides itself for its inaccessibility. Uvb-76 is an eye-opening, creative masterpiece from start to finish, at no point dropping into banality or tedium, and is certainly one of the best math rock releases of the last 10 years.