Oneida - Preteen Weaponry (2008)

Matched by some astonishing live shows in summer 2008 that showed the band's live power had reached a newly obsessive, maniacal height, Oneida's Preteen Weaponry, the first in a planned sequence of three albums, conveys a strong taste of that experience across its three parts, all named after the album itself. Drawing as ever on many familiar, powerful touchstones ranging from classic Krautrock trance-and-surge and acid rock obsessiveness to the kind of focused aggression familiar in band like Loop, Lightning Bolt, and any number of their compatriots and followers, the band creates a thick, rumbling series of pieces that leave much room for delicate touches amid the chaos. On the first part there's a serene, softly descending keyboard sequence that sits up front in the mix even while the drumming in particular amps up into sheer -- but never unfocused -- frenzy. This contrasts almost completely with the slower steady rumble of the second part, beginning with vast swells of feedback Michael Rother would be proud of before settling into an ominous march forward, enveloping and doomy in impact, that gets only more intense with the addition of further guitars and drones. The final part finds a midpoint of sorts between the two, with quick, skittering drumming matched by a series of drone and keyboard loops, rhythmic but not explicitly melodic, ending the album on a calmer but no less compelling note and promising quite a lot for the next two entries in the series. © Ned Raggett /TiVo