Bubblemath – Turf Ascension (Cuneiform Records, 2022)
“Turf Ascension”, the alluring new album by American progressive rock band Bubblemath, has shot up straight to one of the top albums of the year. This group is outstanding for many reasons. Of course, you’ll find favorite features like masterfully crafted, ever-changing time signatures; wonderful vocal harmonies as good as Echolyn’s; and superb instrumental musicianship in the form of fantastic guitar lines that would make Happy the Man proud; creative bass strokes; stellar keyboard work; and an outstanding creative rhythm section.
Notably, “Turf Ascension” is one of those albums that you can listen to repeatedly; it is that good. Additionally, the complex, and at the same time accessible, music lets you discover new aspects, carefully developed details, and nuances in the arrangements and instrumental builds.
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bubblemath includes Blake Albinson on guitar; Jay Burritt on bass; Kai Esbensen on keyboards, vocals; James Flagg on drums, vocals; and Jonathan G. Smith on vocals, guitar. It is not a prolific band. Although Bubblemath was formed about twenty years ago, this is their third album.
Although the music is the highlight of the album, lyrics played a bigger role this time. “Really, I just wanted to make sure that the lyrics were as good as the music,” explained keyboardist Kai Esbensen. “In so much of the music that I love, the lyrics come across like they were just kind of chucked in as an afterthought. I can roll with that for the most part, but the more I like a song’s music, the sadder I get when the lyrics don’t measure up. So I just want to make sure that the lyrics for Bubblemath deserve the music of Bubblemath.”