Mystery of Two
Mystery of Two
(Exit Stencil)
This Cleveland three—not two, although maybe that’s the mystery to investigate—like to start songs with a hyper jangle, rapid indie rock that gradually gives way to a super fuzz wall of sludge, like some mutant spawn of early GBV or Mission of Burma being quickly overrun by the Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr., and about 20 Dischord bands of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Over the din, singer (and Exit Stencil maven) Ryan Weitzel sounds like Cleveland stalwart Pere Ubu’s David Thomas crossed with Tonio K. and Frank Zappa, which makes his band sound smart and worried, instead of clichéd. For a second LP (following 2007’s Arrows Are All You Know; and both songs from a previous 2008  single reappear here), this is unrelenting, and Weitzel’s guitar pyrotechnics drive all 10 songs into overload even as his odd voice provides paranoiac edge. They’re especially good when adding classic Spanish trumpets on “Reprise It,” an added spice they will include more of if they are smart; but the basic premise is rock solid, from simmering boil to dirty eruptions. (exitstencil.org)