Ismatic Guru – An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information
Buffalo’s Ismatic Guru, the hyperactive prog-punk brainchild of John Toohill (aka Science Man) and Bran Schlia (aka Helmsley), has finally unleashed their long-awaited full-length album, An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information. This isn’t your typical album release; it’s a culmination of a years-long recording project, a sonic archive of the duo’s relentless creativity. Over the past few years, Toohill (guitars, vocals, lyrics) and Schlia (bass, organ, drums, production) have meticulously crafted and released a series of numbered EPs, each a limited edition cassette run, building a following through their respective labels (Swimming Faith & Steak and Cake) and beyond. Now, those EPs, along with five brand new tracks, have been compiled into a 26-song, breakneck journey that encapsulates their self-described “idiot-prog punk adventure.” The band’s growing fanbase is well-deserved; with over 15k monthly listeners on Spotify and a dedicated Bandcamp following, it seems Ismatic Guru’s brand of chaos is striking a chord with the underground.
How do you describe the indescribable? Guru’s sound is about as unique as it comes: a texturally rich and wild post-punk runaway train car with rubberband riffing around every corner and impenetrably dense layers that manage to groove amidst the chaos. The duo ditches the sonic shackles for this project letting just about anything fly, and yet there is a surprising (and gratifying) level of cohesion across the five EPs. Fans of Primus, Dismemberment Plan, and Tera Melos will find much to love here, but Ismatic Guru is very much its own beast.
“An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information,” the title track, throws the listener headfirst into a tangle of frenetic bass layers and a rapid-fire internal monologue vocal delivery, evoking the bustle of a packed diner at peak hours. “Manic Vision,” the first single of the new tracks, showcases Toohill’s feral vocals over a barrage of ever-shifting riffs. “Eighteen Miles Long,” the second single, is a definite highlight. With it’s sole lyrics being a repeated chant of “EIGHTEEN! EIGHTEEN! EIGHTEEN! MILES LONG!” punctuated by the occasional Cake-esque “Hey!” and “Come on!,” the song leans into math rock and conjures the frantic 16-bit paranoia of 1993’s Sega Genesis gem Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. A truly niche reference, sure, but not wholly out of place for this band.
The new tracks are a strong introduction to the world of Ismatic Guru, but the rest of the album is equally essential listening. Tracks like the blisteringly fast “What a Rush” (from II), the spiraling “A Nice Man” (off III), and my favorite–the groovy and meandering “Heroes” (from IV) further demonstrates the duos ability to craft truly addictive no-wave strangeness. The album artwork, all created by Toohill, is the perfect visual companion to that strangeness: each EP’s singular, bright color scheme hosting tentacles and other stuff of nightmares, ranging from hummingbird eyeballs, volcano virus powerwagons, and web-footed card catalogs. The art and music go hand in hand: weird, a little unsettling, but undeniably fascinating.
Ismatic Guru is a band that is creating music on their own terms, and that means something in today’s age of limitless content. The songs on An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information are the perfect representation of the album title: 26 challenging little rippers packed with flavor and brimming with originality. You can listen to these songs 100 times over and still find pockets of newness within their dense minutes. Dig in. If you missed out on the limited cassette runs, you can now get a vinyl with all 26 tracks on their bandcamp here.
Categorised in: Album of the Week
This post was written by Ronald Walczyk