I Love Math

I LOVE MATH: Getting To The Point Is Beside It
May 27, 2008
By Eric Davidson

This is the second, swaying slab from this super side-group. Drowzy, subtle slide, a fuzzy keyboard, honey-dripping guitar and singer John Dufilho's just-south-of-happy style are the main sneakers that kick an Apples In Stereo core down a dusky road on this humble set of nimble, college-town pop. "Run Back Inside," "Josephine Street" and "The Shape Of The Sum" skiffle along on mid-period Beatles hums and handclaps. Elsewhere things go from hum to whisper, but each song carries more hook heft than should be expected from stuff probably recorded in between trips to the new Whole Foods down the road to stock up for the cookout that weekend. "This Is Something I Might Miss" is a nearly perfect pop song, or at least the most aptly named song of the year, as you'll miss its instantly heart-tugging melody as soon as it ends. It's one of those tunes that you swear you've heard before... and since I Love Math does feature members of Old 97's, Deathray Davies, the Paper Chase and Apples In Stereo, maybe you have. Imagine those bands' most sunny pop moments, but now imagine them as if they'd been recorded like they're trying to sneak in the session in a basement so as not to wake up the wife and kids upstairs. It's got that post-party years vibe to it, but maybe not if the party is a fine, friendly, September sun-setting, back porch, mid-priced Vintner's Blend-tipping get-together.
- CMJ

Review
by Andrew Leahey

I Love Math's easygoing, no-frills take on alternative country-rock is a nice change from the standard supergroup formula, wherein bandmates stack their talents into towering masses of sound. There's nothing grandiose or showy about this sophomore effort, which prizes melodies and light instrumentation over production gloss. Percussionist Philip Peeples (who, just several weeks prior to this album's release, issued a fairly upbeat record with his native Old 97's) doesn't even touch his cymbals, sticking instead to a stripped-down combination of kick drum, snare, and tambourine. Studio trickery is absent and overdubs are scarce — only the laid-back, handclapped "Josephine Street" sounds at all indebted to the production booth, as its tremolo-laden guitars and serene harmonies share equal space with a French female's voice-over. Even so, the song is a solid example of I Love Math's restraint, and its radio-ready chorus (which, under the leadership of a band like Fountains of Wayne, could transform the tune into a sparkling pop anthem) only rears its tuneful head once. "The Shape of the Sum," "This Is Something I Might Miss," and "Too Many Demons" follow suit, flexing their tuneful muscles without running their hooks into the ground, and the bandmates barrel through the would-be rock song "Some People Get Away" at a comfortable gallop, hardly breaking a sweat but still communicating the tune's energy. Getting to the Point Is Beside It ultimately emerges as an effortless album by a pack of veterans who, after whipping up elaborate entrées with their respective bands, are now content to work with more basic ingredients. For those who like their mix of pop/rock and alt.country served straight up, this is pure comfort food.
- Allmusic

New Record: I Love Math, Getting to the Point is Beside It

June 5, 2008

Hearing praises sung about the adoration of math doesn't normally equate with platinum record status. However, Dallas's I Love Math writes not about algebraic equations or right triangles, but instead offers a record filled with humming guitars and country crooning. A bit of a supergroup — featuring members from Apples in Stereo, Old 97s, the Deathray Davies, and the Paper Chase — I Love Math strives to make the kind of Miller Lite-drenched record that lesser alt.country/power pop/whatever bands wish they had the gumption for. Its latest effort, Getting to the Point is Beside It, could win 2008's Most Apt Title award: this record, armed without a revolutionary message, gives its listener sweet melodies and complementary tunefulness to mull over instead. "I've Seen Better Days," the album's standout track, bounces and twangs along like Neil Young on Harvest, minus the overriding sense of gloom and doom, and "Josephine Street" displays the kind of intricate narrative that must have a killer story to go behind it. Those who are disgusted by country's awkward allegiance with rock 'n roll probably won't get the point, but this record was never intended for them, anyway. Besides, isn't that the point? — Emma Kat Richardson
- Detour Magazine

After nearly a decade writing and recording as the only mainstay in Deathray Davies (that name rarely fails to elicit a chuckle from me), John Dufilho appears to have a cache of songs that needed another outlet. Enter I Love Math, a side project of sorts, which finds Dufilho collaborating with a few of his latter-day Davies mates as well as Old 97s drummer Philip Peeples. While the stylistic differences between his primary band and this project are not all that notable, this record is populated with somewhat simpler songs that are delivered in a straightforward, frills-free method.
The record plays as a mix tape of tracks from a variety of mid-'90s and later indie-rock bands. It's easy to play spot the influence ("I've Seen Better Days" sounds a whole lot like Fountains of Wayne, "The Shape of the Sum" is a deadringer for Beulah, and "This Is Something I Might Miss" is Shins-like). What's startling is how effectively delivered and artfully played these genre exercises are, at no point sounding generic. Dufilho recently picked up another gig as the drummer for the Apples in Stereo, so it's somewhat surprising he's found the time for a side project. But more's the better, as I Love Math turns in a satisfying homage of sorts, a record that substitutes quality for originality in a very rewarding way. — Chris Drabick
- Cleveland Free Times

By Monica Cady
LiveDaily Contributor

Alt-country indie rockers I Love Math [ tickets ] offer an impressive sophomore release that glides along to up-tempo rhythms and poetic, provocative lyrics. This Texas-based supergroup comprises members from Deathray Davies, Old 97's, Apples in Stereo and The Paper Chase. Together, they make a hybrid of free-flowing, happy melodies and light, twang-infused western tunes.
The quirky lyrics and unassuming approach of vocalist/guitarist John Dufilho are immediately the most intriguing and inviting aspects of these 12 tracks. As steel guitar wails on the album opener, "Some Bridges Are For Burning," Dufilho croons: "Some keys are made for throwing away instead of turning/Some people are for knowing/Some bridges are for burning down to the ground/I'll be the first to cheer the sound." Conor Oberst-like touches find their way into a few selections, most notably on the acoustic guitar and tambourine frolics of "Only Crowns Are Scary," during which the lead man sings: "I fell into some new cement/It didn't hurt/But I got stuck/And now I leave an imprint when I cough."

When the words aren't exactly stimulating--because they are cliché and repetitive (especially on tracks like "I've Seen Better Days" and "Too Many Demons," whose titles essentially make up the extent of the lyrics)--the music picks up the slack, keeping things moving at a fun, steady pace. Retro-sounding keyboards, warm acoustic guitars, handclaps and bright xylophones highlight several could-have-been-dull moments. "These Paper Walls" exemplifies how I Love Math utilizes layers of symphonic sounds and a simple trail of "ba-ba-ba's" to create one of the album's most inspiring moments.

Missing completely from the release are cymbals--apparently the band wanted to keep things as simple as possible. That's exactly the general feeling we get here: to-the-point music that's full of purpose and thought, but not overly produced or too dramatic. These are the kind of trudge-along life-examining songs that would be ideal for a Zach Braff or Jon Brion indie-film soundtrack.
- LiveDaily

Dusted Reviews

Artist: I Love Math
Album: Getting to the Point is Beside It
Label: Glurp
Review date: Jun. 9, 2008


John Dufhilo, of the Deathray Davies, has a knack for radiantly catchy pop melodies sung with just enough weariness and couched in just enough abrasiveness to wring the sweetness out. His Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory is one of my favorite underrated pop records – smart, full of memorable melodies and balanced on the fine line between power pop and garage.


The good news is that his new project, I Love Math, is very much more of the same, though perhaps with a bit more of a country slant. The "same" part is not surprising – the Deathray Davies has always been Dufhilo and whoever else was around, and he's brought two other ex-Deathrays (Jason Garner and Andy Lester) into his new band. The country part also makes sense. The non-Deathray guy in I Love Math is Phillip Peeples, the drummer from the Old 97s.


The rootsiest song comes first, as the whine of lap steel, the tangle of banjo, the shuffle of country two-step take "Some Bridges Are For Burning" into Americana territory. The break near the end, with its wavery bent guitar notes and snare-heavy lilt, would sound just fine on a Bloodshot Records album, but it also features the literate, self-deprecating irony of a contemporary singer-songwriter.


As the album goes on, it seems to shake off its country guise and resemble pure pop. "Only Clowns are Scary" has the same two-based rhythm, again with the lap steel and banjo, but it sounds completely contemporary. And by the time you get to "I've Seen Better Days," with its shivery keyboards and shouted-out chorus, you are back in classic Deathrays mode, where the pure joy of pop instrumentation combines with wistful lyrical content. Like all good pop, these songs are indeterminate in mood, changing temperature depending on what you bring to the experience. "I've seen…better days," Dufhilo croons in his worn-smooth, what-are-you-gonna-do shrug of a voice, as the drums break into a celebratory fill. It is impossible to say whether this is a happy song or a sad one, and that's part of its charm.


"Josephine Street," with its samples of girls speaking French, could be about love or what happens next. The upsweeping melody and handclapped rhythms argue for happiness, the plaintive guitar solo and melancholy vocals for heartache. But either way, it's a very pretty song, perfect for lying in bed thinking about the one beside you… or the one that got away.


The second half of the album is dotted with gem-like, fuzzy pop songs, a bit more vulnerable and tattered than Dufhilo's obvious influence, Guided By Voices, less exuberant than his bosses at Apples in Stereo (for whom he plays drums). "The Shape of the Sum," "Run Back Inside" and "Too Many Demons" push the rock element forward with rough-toned guitar and giddy '60s keyboards, yet the sweetness comes through in three of the album's best melodies.


It's hard to articulate what makes Getting to the Point is Beside It such a pleasure, the same way you might not be able to explain why you like chocolate ice cream. There are plenty of albums that are more challenging, but this is a small-scale effort that is extremely well executed.



By Jennifer Kelly

- Dusted Magazine