I Love Math, Getting To The Point Is Beside It

I imagine living in Dallas would sort of be like living in an elevator. Nothing ever really happens there, everything seems to go by in a blur, and the entire city is a background. It’s only fitting that a lot of the music made there sounds like nothing; or maybe it sounds like everything. One of those.

When I first listened to I Love Math’s debut release, Getting To The Point Is Beside It, I was intrigued. Because some of the track titles are pretty interesting — “Some Bridges are for Burning,” “This is Something I Might Miss,” “The Shape of the Sum” — and that might make you want to listen, right? Well, I did. And from about the first minute of the second song (“Only Clowns are Scary”), I completely forgot there was even music playing. It was only upon a second listen, where I had to force myself to concentrate on what was going on, that I decided that this record needs work. It sounds very similar to early Mates of State (though there is no female lead) or, more presently, a male version of Au Revoir Simone or even Dallas’ own Smile Smile.

The songs are pretty simple, and the lyrics — see “I’m right on this, the world does not exist for you / If you’re the center of the universe, then we’re a mess” (on “Some Bridges are for Burning”) or “Take this road, drive out of town / I can’t focus now on what went down / Anger goes away” (from “Some People Get Away”) — seem a bit clichéd and overwrought for a group that has been receiving fairly stand-out reviews. That’s not to say that the entire album is bad, or that it’s entirely dull. There is some good to be taken away from it, and some hope that I Love Math has something in them that might make for a solid second release. “Volcanic Ash” is a fun, what seems like two-man production that sounds very similar to (another Dallas band) old-time Jackopierce, and “Josephine Street” is great, full of French overdubs and sounding like it could have come straight from the mouths of the Fruit Bats.

Getting To The Point Is Beside It is just okay; it’s kind of there, kind of invisible. You probably won’t remember you bought it unless you keep it on a constant loop in your stereo, but if you need something light that is good to read to, this CD would be perfect.