Switching to the aggro-punk label might have seemed a slightly odd choice for , but then again, his own brand of in-your-face sonic attacks isn't that far removed from a lot of fare (and arguably is much better than most). After producing his first two albums himself, worked with Seattle-based legend , who was perfectly sympathetic to 's own philosophies of full feedback sound and massive crunch. The end result was a great trip that started to win greater attention among a younger crowd generally unaware of 's work. With a wholly new rhythm section (bassist , drummer ), set to work with a three-part opening track that included some of the fastest tempos he'd yet worked with. The low burr of the guitars and manic avant-garage soloing, not to mention the expected vocal treatments, show that it's still at the controls. As with much of his past work, while on the one hand he has a clear formula, on the other, he knows how to spike the punch just enough. Thus, the backward-masked weirdness that leads into the suitably calm or ever so slightly dub-touched drums on The rhythm team knows how to lay down the steady, Krautrock-tinged pace that so often helps define 's work when called for, while balances sonic oomph with the cryptic, swirling touches that make the music all the more discrete and weird. Once or twice flirts with a more direct style of performing -- has an anthemic build cropping up once or twice amid the steady chug, while actually has him singing about "wishing on a star" -- though in a rather different context. ~ Ned Raggett