Review Summary: The mathematics aren't important, what's surrounding it at the moment is.
If I could describe "4x4=12" to you in maybe a sentence I'd say that "4x4=12 is, beside the mau5 struggling a bit with his Maths, an ace album that is unique, complex, all around different and good-sounding because of that, but still tied in with the old ideas as well as the new ones.
With the disappointment(or at least I was disappointed) of "For Lack of A Better Name", Joel Zimmerman makes up for all of that(besides Strobe) with a kick-ass Progressive House, Electro and dubstep album. The album starts out with a killer opener, "Some Chords" much like his Progressive House style known for in his last two albums. The track, is hard going, banging and just all around progressive, a great opener, with a few wubs as well. The next four tracks, however, are a completely different story. I don't think that deadmau5 is lacking when it comes to thinking outside his comfort zone, because that is definitely not the case. "SOFI Needs A Ladder" is unlike any of his tracks he has produced before, for the better, might I add. With a killer hook, bass and some awesome vocals, It's dirty, like dubstep dirty, it's not progressive, it's loose. The next three tracks follow in a similar fashion. Loads of bass, loose drums...I think the mau5 has moved away from the progressive house scene now and it looks GOOD. These tracks are BANG on. They have lots of dubstep basslines and deep wubs which is honestly not the last of it, because there is even more ahead. "I Said" starts to move away from this electro/dub scene, which is by the way the first edit of his song, "Arguru". This track is like the original and anything you have heard on RAT, so it's not like he has moved away from the pro/house scene TOTALLY yet. "Cthulhu Sleeps" is back on this electro/dub road. Deep, emotion-filled synths and dirty bass wubs with progressive drums. "Right This Second" is the best Pro/house track on the album, as it goes back to this, proof of the variety there is on this album. Dotty synths and a smooth hook.
"Raise Your Weapon" and "One Trick Pony" prepare you are bring for dirtyness. You THINK in the beginning that Raise Your Weapon will be a house song, but it's not, after a sweet piano and a few drums, it turns into this epic dubstep wrath of a song, with One Trick Pony in the same fashion, but just going right into a dub song. "Everything Before" is a a pro/house song and ALMOST a bad ending, but it's not, well, whatever, the selection of songs on this album just make it good.
This is my fave mau5 album, for variety and sound, plus it is better than the ear-crap that is ">Album Title Goes Here<".
