Bay Area spastics xbxrx have been gradually departing from the more accessible punk repertoire of 2007's Wars. They've been leaning more towards obscurity, from releasing last year's Un Usper for free on their website to now having their latest effort as concise as ever at nine minutes. Whether you consider it an album or an EP, it's evident that O is a return to xbxrx's noise rock origins expressed on Sixth In Sixes and Sounds.
xbxrx are as loud as ever here, and show absolutely no restraints. As made clear from the very start of "Decay I," the guitars have a gritty, crunchy tone to them, the vocals are distorted and shouted similar to Night Wounds, and the drums are on the verge of falling apart. O isn't an indulgent exercise in being balls-out, though: tracks like "Knowledge Is Death" and "Sand Dimes" sport well written-- albeit discordant-- song arrangements. Like many hardcore acts, xbxrx are out to elicit some chanting along to these tracks. At such a short duration, the relentless cacophony never becomes overwhelming.
On O, xbxrx take a route that I've been longing for a while. Though fairly brief, it has a strong impact that will keep a listener satiated for what xbxrx will accomplish in the context of a "proper" album. No extravagance, no limitations-- just an outgoing trio with a passion for dissonance and noise.
[xbxrx Myspace]
[Buy O from Polyvinyl Recording Co.]
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