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Nasalrod, Building Machines (Self-Released)
[SPAZZ PUNKS] In the days before "punk" became shorthand for power chords over pre-packaged rebellion, the term cast a wide net that included just about any shit-disturber who went against the grain. One such unlikely hero of punk's early days was Frank Zappa, a sonic omnivore whose deranged DNA can be found all over Nasalrod's Building Machines. Landing between the prog funk of Mr. Bungle and the spastic post-punk of Brainiac, the finest moments on Machines offer a glimpse at what might happen if the Blood Brothers kidnapped Mike Patton and joined the circus. At the fore of the mix is the push-pull between the crazed ranting of Jeffrey "Chairman" Couch and the angular fuzz of guitarist Mustin Douch. On "Destroy Collapse Repeat," Couch spews vitriol in a cartoonish bark about a 35-year-old loser who lives with his mom while Douch darts between woolly arpeggios and unnerving stabs from pitch-shifted notes. Propelled by former Fear drummer Spit Stix, the album's most compelling moments are neatly crammed into "Better Prepare," a knotty ode to the end times that finds the quartet convulsing from one jagged tempo change to the next. Repeat listens reveal an uncanny likeness between Couch's disgruntled delivery and the haughty howl of Jack Black, but that shouldn't deter listeners from Building Machines' fun and furious attack.
SEE IT: Nasalrod plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Boink and Honey Bucket, on Sunday, Oct. 22. 9 pm. $5. 21+.