CD Review: I Love Math’s Getting to the Point is Beside It

by Catherine Cuellar

DALLAS — It sometimes seems Dallas' John Dufilho creates or joins a different band for each instrument he's picked up. Although he's currently drummer for The Apples in Stereo and has previously performed in Peter Schmidt's Legendary Crystal Chandelier and Chomsky, Dufilho is best known as founder of The Deathray Davies — a group of musicians Dufilho drafted after recording and releasing 1999's Drink With The Grownups and Listen to the Jazz using that moniker (even though Dufilho played all the instruments).

I Love Math started as a weekly Barley House acoustic gig featuring The Deathray Davies' bassist Jason Garner (who has drummed for the pAper chAse) and drummer Bill Shupp (who also appeared on the the Nourallah Brothers' eponymous release). But when Shupp left for California and the lineup added Philip Peeples, I Love Math developed a sound of its own.

Their sophomore release, Getting to the Point is Beside It, features a quiet, rootsy sound bridging the spare acoustic instrumentation of Dufilho's solo CD I Remain, As Always, A Rabble Rouser From The Mountains and DRD's happy fun pop. Peeples plays only the kick and the snare with brushes, creating his signature rhythms resembling train sounds. “Volcanic Ash” and Ward Williams' pedal steel on “Some Bridges are for Burning” recall Peeples' other band, Old 97's, with whom I Love Math are touring this summer. “These Paper Walls” adds the lovely violin of Centro-matic's Scott Danborn.

The CD listening party celebrating Tuesday's release at the Barley House was a veritable who's who of Dallas music scenesters, attended by producer Salim Nourallah and Idol Records' Erv Karwelis, among others. But one musician was missing, late keyboardist Carter Albrecht, who contributed to four tracks. Initially the 38-second jingle bell-accented “Better Days (Reprise),” which recalls Mark Mothersbaugh scores for Wes Anderson films, was almost excluded. But because the instrumental was written and performed almost entirely by Carter, it not only made the cut, but it concludes the disc, which is dedicated to Carter's memory. Like Albrecht's life, both his contribution and I Love Math's Getting to the Point is Beside It are all too brief, and leave the listener wanting more.