Strange Wilds – Subjective Concepts

More echoes of grunge from the label that started it all – between the squalling noise of METZ and this selection of jagged rifferama, you wonder where Jonathan Poneman gets off releasing photocopies of Sub Pop’s baby photos. But just like their Canadian labelmates, Strange Wilds’ best moments feel so primally urgent that they’ll steal your enraptured focus from right under your nose.

Reference points? Try TAD, The Jesus Lizard and (duh!) Nirvana, but when Subjective Concepts hits hardest, ticking names off a checklist won’t matter. The rollicking Oneirophobe drowns you in sludge; you’ll hear ‘em scream ‘I can’t think any louder’ just as your head drops below the surface. Disdain is even better, a post-hardcore slalom that scarcely goes over two minutes. They’re less fun on the rare occasions that their goofy sneers lurch into dull whines – the grungers’ curse – but for the most part this is a damn good racket.