It just does not come anywhere near as enigmatic as this. Indian Summer was a very short-lived band from the early to mid 1990's that made music in an era when "emo" was not a dirty word (it was simply derided by uppity hardcore kids). The songs were and still are sloppy, emotional, powerful, and unnamed (their fans later gave names to the songs). Finding out any other information about this band takes research. There is a small but rabid following that still venerates this outfit today. It is for those people and possibly new listeners that this release sees the light of day. Hidden Arithmetic is a collection of the live Blue Universe record and a couple of other live appearances and radio shows. It is a companion piece to the Science 1994 discography (which collects all of Indian Summer's studio recordings) from a couple of years ago.
The first song of the set begins the same way as that the studio album does, with the sample of a jazz/soul/blues singer. When the song actually comes in, it is a noisy, ragged sounding piece with a strong loud and soft dynamic. The vocals are whispery during the soft parts and frantic in the loud parts. The second song has a throbbing bass line mixed with some harmonic guitar string plucking. The vocal arrangement is mostly spoken word. The band then explodes with multiple screaming vocalists that carry the track to its end. The next song (number 3) maintains the frantic pace with which the last one ends. It seethes with passion. It also is a good example of why Indian Summer is a completely different animal in the live setting than while in the studio setting. Actually, this is really what Hidden Arithmetic accomplishes; it shows the more furious and expansive side of the band. Indian Summer cools things down a bit for the first half of the fourth song before bursting headlong into their frantic mode again. The band shows how well they play with dynamics with songs like this. They end the first set with another track with a quiet beginning and more spoken word style vocals. Throughout the song they alternate between this mode and the frantic pace of their louder material.
The second set (taken from a radio show appearance) begins much the same as the first with the sample of the blues/jazz/soul singer only this time the pounding drums signal the beginning instead of the noisy guitar. The second song of the second set (track 8) has a rather ominous sound. The juxtaposition of loud and soft is on full display with this piece and demonstrates the ability of Indian Summer's work with dynamics. The sound on this recording for this set is a bit clearer than the first.
For a total package, the sound quality on this CD is rather good, save for the vocals (which has more to do with the band's sloppy nature). I am actually surprised that the sound is as good as it is; my expectations were lower, and this proves me wrong. The packaging is pretty neat as well. The CD comes in a slip folder hidden inside a screen-printed cardboard box. It has a real DIY feel to it. My only complaint is the lack of liner notes or any information on the recordings at all.
Due to the relative obscurity that Indian Summer seems to fall, in part because of their relatively short existence and lack of touring, it is rather difficult to determine the impact that they and their music has on music today. This release also has a complete lack of liner notes or lyrics of any kind, which perpetuates the band's mysterious quality. However, many musicians and bands do cite them as an influence (especially screamo bands). It is evident from listening to Hidden Arithmetic that they were passionate. The songs are rough and naked with raw emotion. This is an essential record for anyone that enjoys old-fashioned "screamo" (a bad term I know, but it gets the point across).
