Junior Bob

"Last on the bill was Junior Bob, whose drummer doubled for Elos Arma. The math rock duo played incredibly long and varied songs that often lasted for fifteen minutes at a time, and never became tedious or repetitive. Instead, Junior Bob played variations on one riff and transitioned from there. It was like listening to a spirited intellectual debate, in which each counter point the opponent brought strengthened the other’s arguments. This dialogue between guitar and drum left me with a sensation of pleasant calm to guide me out of the dark and back into the rowdy night of St Laurent." - Hot Soupe

"Last on the bill was Junior Bob, whose drummer doubled for Elos Arma. The math rock duo played incredibly long and varied songs that often lasted for fifteen minutes at a time, and never became tedious or repetitive. Instead, Junior Bob played variations on one riff and transitioned from there. It was like listening to a spirited intellectual debate, in which each counter point the opponent brought strengthened the other’s arguments. This dialogue between guitar and drum left me with a sensation of pleasant calm to guide me out of the dark and back into the rowdy night of St Laurent." - Hot Soupe

Toronto’s alleyways have birthed a madness that must be unveiled to the world. Junior Bob features ballad-like waltz dancing with Victor Wooten bass tapping. This is all layered against twinkle tapping, making a very solid poly rhythmic groove that is floating way above our heads. The waltz then turns into a power trio solo from two men, and all instruments play choreographed fusion fills that make way for a jazzy ending discord. Kate’s New Apartment leads right in with a heavy and wild-natured first impression. Being almost like a twinkle version of Omar Rodriguez Lopez‘s Cryptomnesia, the track has a lot of intense flavors, concepts, and musical narratives. Changing so often and offering up a tempo shifting confusion, the listener has a lot to learn from these masters of math and art. Heavy players have been discovered in the light of the moon’s reflection, and now a mission is born. - Spread

Toronto’s alleyways have birthed a madness that must be unveiled to the world. Junior Bob features ballad-like waltz dancing with Victor Wooten bass tapping. This is all layered against twinkle tapping, making a very solid poly rhythmic groove that is floating way above our heads. The waltz then turns into a power trio solo from two men, and all instruments play choreographed fusion fills that make way for a jazzy ending discord. Kate’s New Apartment leads right in with a heavy and wild-natured first impression. Being almost like a twinkle version of Omar Rodriguez Lopez‘s Cryptomnesia, the track has a lot of intense flavors, concepts, and musical narratives. Changing so often and offering up a tempo shifting confusion, the listener has a lot to learn from these masters of math and art. Heavy players have been discovered in the light of the moon’s reflection, and now a mission is born. - Spread

Toronto bands Elos Arma and Junior Bob are at it again, this time splitting a live off the floor EP called Cottage Split via Next Level Syndicate, a Southern Ontario artist movement dedicated to promoting DIY processes.

Recorded at a cottage in Sarnia, each of the four tracks resonate with each bands’ old ideas, new ideas and spontaneous experimentation. It’s easy to find songs merging with the next, “In-outroduction” by Elos Arma being a perfect example as it blends from “Lakeside” to “Kate’s Favourite Elos Riffs” nearly flawlessly.

Junior Bob’s “Kate’s Favourite Elos Riffs” and “Kate’s New Apartment” are the perfect mixture of the two bands working together. The duo’s math rock genre is taken to new heights when backed with Elos Arma’s eerie vocals. The experimental sound is enough to set it apart from other indie bands in the scene today, but not enough to make their sound way out there and only relatable to a particular audience. Oddly enough, Junior Bob finds a way to ground us again after Elos Arma takes us a little bit out of the atmosphere, another reason why both bands work so well together.

In the end Elos Arma’s “Lakeside” takes the cake, running from one end of your brain to the other and back again. The track is fresh and ghostly when compared to past work and live performances. Elos Arma is a band that definitely knows where they stand and what direction they can take next, but it’s nice to hear them loosen up and let their sound flow more freely than we’ve heard before.

The only question left unanswered now is, “Who the hell is Kate?” - Substruct News