8. Zach D’Agostino of Arvid Noe — “Silverfish”
Arvid Noe is another sadly disbanded band who put out a truly awesome record this summer and did a final tour before their drummer moved to California. A true bummer, because Zach was also in an absolutely killer math rock/punk duo called Trach, and a beat-heavy project called Adze. “Silverfish” shows off Zach’s ability to play energetic and aggressive beats at a speed that not every drummer can handle. Sustaining the type of thing he does between 1:45 and 2:08 is no easy task, especially in the context of such a rhythmically dense song, The beat he goes into in the next section (2:17 to 2:35) rocks, and the rest of the song’s twists and turns reveal even more agility as well as the ability to smoothly switch feels without warning. Trying to keep up with this song would make lots of other drummers, including myself, throw up.
9. Max Almario of Celestial Shore* — “Hour Minute”
There’s not much to say here, just listen. The really crazy shit starts at about 1:45. (*Celestial Shore is technically a New York band but they met and formed at Berklee so I think we can count them.)
10. Peter Negroponte of Guerilla Toss — “Trash Bed”
Peter Negroponte, one of the people behind Jamaica Plain record paradise Deep Thoughts, is a unique drummer and is wearing a unique coat in the Guerilla Toss press photo. “Trash Bed” is an addictive song, and the hypnotic cowbell rhythm going on under the surface is incredible. Peter’s ability to change tempo and feel while still keeping the song’s composure is key to how this song functions. I hate to use such a trite term as “organized chaos” but that’s sort of what’s going on here, and I think Peter’s the one organizing it. But instead of arranging records by genre like he does at Deep Thoughts, the genres are blended into raw rhythms and deep, deep grooves throughout the song.