FOR A BAND trying to move on from the so-called math rock movement, a statistical symbol might seem a strange choice for a name.
New York City band +/-, pronounced 'plus minus', rose from the ashes of Versus. The 1990s indie rock favourites were early exponents of the math rock sound, which is characterised by complex atypical rhythms, stop/start dynamics and angular, dissonant riffs.
But +/-, comprising former Versus members James Baluyut and Patrick Ramos on vocals, guitars and keyboard duty, and drummer and sampler supremo Chris Deaner, are making their own mark by integrating electronics into a predominantly rock template in a way that is neither ornamental nor auxiliary.
As Deaner puts it, +/- make 'challenging music that doesn't sound as if it's challenging'.
'I'd like to change the notion that music written in odd time signatures is 'math', therefore separate from pop music. Pop music, to me, is music that's written with the melody and lyrics in mind. The melody and the content should speak to the listener, not the way it's delivered,' he says.
The band started out as Baluyut's side project in 2001, but blossomed into a full-time project with the winding-down of Versus. A slimmed-down version of +/- will bring the band's challenging time signatures and catchy electro-pop melodies to Hong Kong audiences on December 16 as part of their 11-date Asian tour.