These Are Powers

Despite its electronic structure, These Are Powers' second full-length release is fleshy and visceral. Anna Barie's repetitive vocals are more a chant than "singing," but that sort of tunelessness helps them fit in with the machine music (see "Life of Birds" for a particularly shrill cry). It's not too far off from The Raincoats' similar brand of abrasive, tone-jarring vocalizations. New drummer Bill Salas slides right into the group no problem; his beats are as deconstructionist as they sound. It's almost like they're straight from a construction site.

The band's grimy, spastic cut-and-paste aesthetics are laid over late '80s no-wave cacophonies. Though the results are harsh, there's a slight—slight!—melodic underpinning that keeps them accessible. As a follow-up to last year's middling first full-length Terrific Seasons, All Aboard Future is an improvement, but still spends time working its way through sounds pioneered years ago by acts like Silver Apples, DNA, This Heat and Throbbing Gristle. Confusion Is Sex-era Sonic Youth, too, is an obvious touchstone, an influence that shines through in the band's unstudied yet skilled sound. Check the creepy "Double Double Yolk," or the alluring "Parallel Shores" for confirmation. Pleasant? Not particularly. But surprisingly enthralling.

—Chris Hassiotis
03.25.09