Infinite Number of Sounds

Self-dubbed "electro-rock/media-art performance group" Infinite Number of Sounds has delivered a debut album that's bound to rock the socks off of anybody with properly functioning auditory canals. Time Wants a Skeleton integrates traditional instrumentation and synthetic drum beats to create a fresh, contemporary potpourri of sounds that does for music what Dadaism did for the visual arts. Blending spacy bump beats with a clever concoction of classical instruments, the record varies between easy-listening tunes that you'd could expect to hear in the lounge of the Four Seasons to breakbeat-mixing techniques you might encounter in an Ibiza techno house. Perhaps best described as the work of DJ Shadow's bipolar brother, half of the tracks on Time Wants a Skeleton create an atmosphere suited for white wine consumption, while the others would suitably soundtrack a Friday night acid hit.
Infinite Number of Sounds' surrealistic approach to music is likely to gain them notoriety in the underground, paving the way for further aural art experimentation, and perhaps even crafting a new genre -- Musica Obscura.

- Farrah Usmani

It's tempting to dismiss Infinite Number of Sounds as just another post-rock outfit: Tortoise-inspired indie rockers awed by samplers and sequencers. But even if some of the styling sounds familiar, almost every song on Time Wants a Skeleton offers a varied mood and instrumental approach, as well as a playful sense of humor that makes each track distinctly the band's own.
The sequence of convoluted breakbeats and wall-of-guitar feedback that polish off "Disfingered" could've been produced by Trent Reznor, if he could stop brooding long enough to insert roaring kung-fu samples. Cuts like "Ignorant Bad Man" and "Emo Joe" knock off laptop beatmakers in a similar way, with serene moods and wistful synth parts that sound as if they were programmed by Cex, Kid 606, or Stars as Eyes. Combined with organic drum beats, sunny trumpet interludes, and rollicking riffs, these tunes make Time Wants a Skeleton a constantly unfolding treat.

- STEVE BOUGHTON

"Straight up, these cats is on some ill shit. Musically, I'd say they were a mix of drum n bass, rock, electronica and hip hop. Nahh, eff that: they're just dope! They had a video screen playin visual backdrops to their music...yo. If yall get a chance to see em, I recommend it." - Nexus

"Though all music is a form of art, Cleveland's Infinite Number of Sounds takes that idea and runs with it, mixing noise sampling, digital video imagery and experimental rock to the ultimate visual/musical experience." - Pittsburgh Pulp

It hurts to say, but it's true; No incendiary performance or onstage acrobatics can hold a candle to the visceral combination of sound and video. Whether it's U2, Hovercraft, Monster Magnet or DJ Shadow, the addition of images and film to a live music show is always dazzling. The effect is particularly advantageous when the band has few or no vocals, the visual backdrop providing a constant source of entertainment. The experimental Post Rock collective Infinite Number of Sounds fall into this category, using projection as a fifth dimension for their music as well as a constant source of entertainment. As their debut album, Time Wants A Skeleton, illustrates, the band isn't dependent on their video accompaniment. The manic combination of cocktail jams and exit music with Trip Hop beats is suitably entrancing served a la carte. But at the same time, the jerky, Devo-esque style is an irresistble canvas for Zoo-TV inspired pop culture toasting. The Infinite Number of Sounds Recording Company, a three-year old Cleveland artist collective, provides INS both an always-fresh lineup of scientists to perform the artful sound stretching and a continuous catalog of multimedia material custom fit to the band's music. The core musical group consists of INS co-founders David Mansback and Brent Gummow, Matt Mansbach (guitarist, artist and David's brother) and drummer Ron Tucker (also of Akron's Racermason). Their critically acclaimed live show ends up at art openings or underground galleries more often than traditional music clubs. Likewise, they primarily share the stage with similar experimental acts. But their ever-morphing lineup of guitars, drums, syths, laptops, and trumpet scales up well and has no trouble standing up to a bill full of heavy Rock acts. Whether is is with minimalistic droning or a dense wall of beats and samples, INS is primed and ready to make the house rumble. - Eric Waller

"It’s been said before in these pages, but it bears repeating: you’ve never seen or heard anything like this come out of Cleveland in such a defined way. INS takes everything (and the kitchen sink) and drops it into a Cuisinart full of tripped out/swirling sounds, spoken word chills and delicious punk thrills. Implementing these sounds with the benefit of experimental video wizardry only peppers the experience. But does the disc need digital audio-visuals to have impact? Not at all. The great thing about Radio Whales is that the production inspires the cinema in your head to create its own film noir or, perhaps more accurately, your own lost episode of “The X-Flies.” " - Cool Cleveland

"Cleveland’s indie rock experimental group Infinite Number of Sounds deliver a one-two punch that will strike fear in the heavyweights of experimental music. Using musical collages as their playground, the band generates early rock-n-roll grooves with pop-rock hooks and electro’s cut-and-paste song structure. With a slew of bands that are starting to incorporate odd electronica into their rock formulas, one could initially think that this is burgeoning on the realm of derivative but that would be missing their best attribute, which simply stated is the genius marriage of melody and seemingly chaotic ambience. Art rock that’s damn good." - Smother.net

"The sort of blocky, introspective instrumentals that I tend to enjoy. There's a logic to each piece, and nonetheless the playing is engaging and fun. These boys ride a fine line between automation and exuberance--and they make that tension last all album." - Aiding & Abetting

"Sounds like something that Radiohead's Thom Yorke was meant to take part in, a presentation that focuses on the significance of sound, and the various possibilities of an instrument at hand. The guitar really talks to you, with sequenced sounds capable of pinching every nerve and conjuring many emotional imags in your mind. Absorb and inhale the sounds of Infinite Number of Sounds, this new enjoyable blend of experimental rock." - Rag Magazine