Sacramento’s own wild experimental- or math-rock duo Hella comes back with their fifth full album, tighter and more neurotic than ever. It’s just a drum and guitar duo, but their sound is so full you’d never guess it. They breeze effortlessly through complex time signatures, bombarding you with angular themes and rhythmic assaults. Still, Sargent House is right to describe this as their “most ‘focused’ album to date... in a kaleidoscopic way”; the compositions are rich and complex, and the execution is remarkable. Think Don Caballero, but more playful, or Battles, but more frantic and less joyful (generally). Zach Hill is, of course, the drummer, so you’ll like this if you like Chrime in Choir, etc. Also, fans of Marnie Stern and Lightning Bolt will find this delightful. No FCC’s.

If there is justice in the world, this will get played to death.
Track descriptions/recommendations inside.

I marked some tracks for the hell of it, but you can’t go wrong.

1.*** (4:36) Absolutely manic. Escapes description. Ridiculously tasty.
2. (3:12) Heavy and rumbling, brazen.
3. (3:14) Relentless, fuzzy guitar. The mood suggests bitter vengeance.
4.*** (3:46) A more measured time signature. Killer riffs, incredibly technical, totally fresh.
5. (5:36) Called “Netgear.” Lives up to its name. Death by computer hardware at its finest.
6.*** (4:16) Playful, almost comic. Highly technical guitar.
7. (2:17) Punk energy and speed. As frantic as it gets.
8. (3:44) A fucked up western vibe. Beautiful and funny, all at once.
9.*** (4:08) Ridiculously disorderly at first, but settles into a cycle of irresistible riffs.
10. (4:48) A razor-sharp Oriental-sounding riff. So awesome. Starts fading out with 45 seconds left.