Biography
The GREAT brain consisted of Michael Conroy (bass/guitar), Daniel Kiely (drums), Charan Ranganath (guitar), Brent Ritzel (guitar/bass). The Chicago-based quartet got their start in 1994 when Ranganath, then a graduate student at Northwestern, responded to a flyer put together by Ritzel, who published the influential Chicago music zine Tail Spins. The two guitarists developed a style of songwriting initially influenced heavily by Archers of Loaf, Polvo, Pixies, and Sonic Youth, as evidenced by their early singles, Ray/Half Decayed (Faye Records) and Satan Superman/Dotbuster. However, they soon developed a unique style by augmenting their trademark intertwined, dissonant guitars with odd time signatures, unusual arrangements, and multiple, sometimes overlapping vocals. Their subsequent CD release, Algorithm (Throwrug records), stood apart even in the fertile 90’s Chicago music scene by crossing genres, textures, and styles. Some songs, such as “Linda Lavin” (named for the 11/8 time signature) and “You became the angry chimes” were lush and melodic, whereas others such as “Strawberry Flan”, “Eigenvector”, “Crack Blues”, and “Dry Socket” were avant garde math rock blowouts that drew comparisons to Don Caballero and Slint. Constantly seeking to try new directions, Conroy took over guitar responsibilities and Ritzel took over on bass in their last compositions, giving the GREAT brain a sound unlike anything else at the time. This can be seen on "FKA Taxidermist", a deconstructed math-blues meltdown included on the Zum # 10 compilation. The band garnered a great deal of attention, including glowing zine reviews, TV and radio coverage, and even a song ("Process of Attrition")on the soundrack of “Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer 2: Mask of Sanity”. However, the demands placed by the band’s members’ day jobs eventually took their toll, and the GREAT brain broke up in 1998.
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