Marijuana Deathsquads: Oh My Sexy Lord – review

Although this Minneapolis noise band's name suggests they have put their energies into coming up with something to give small boys a chuckle, their full-length debut demands much more attention. Known for chaotic, spectacular live shows featuring evolving lineups, 20-minute long songs and numerous drummers, they have channelled their ideas into a distinctive musical rollercoaster. This genre-busting voyage hurls in everything from dark psychedelic electronic drum'n'bass to pastoral progressive rock. Ambient beauty and cut-up weirdness are also thrown into their often improvised melting pot, meaning that they don't quite sound like anyone else around. Are they the Cure meets Pendulum or Crystal Castles doing Hawkwind? Trying to make sense of the barely intelligible, processed/shouted lyrics is equally akin to solving a Rubik's cube, but apocalyptic visions such as, "We're gonna die in the ocean. Beneath a violent sky," leap out of the confusion. Whatever it all means – and it isn't always focused – it's refreshing to hear a band ignoring convention and playing by their own rules.