Surgery Channel

Idioma disponible: inglés

Dark, corrosive and claustrophobic, The C.I.A.'s second album is also weirdly liberating. A collaboration between prolific experimental singer-songwriter Ty Segall and his wife, Denée Segall, along with Emmett Kelly of The Cairo Gang, the trio pummels with double bass, Big Black-like stylish rage and a punk relentlessness, to break on through to the other side. "Inhale Exhale" crossbreeds New Order synth with greasy Jon Spencer Blues Explosion guitar as Denée builds to an explosive war cry: "Just leave her alone," over and over, each call more desperate than the last. "Impersonator" is a different stripe of mad-scientist concoction: sinister and slinky, it finds her singing "Same old story/ Different sequel/ Thanks for coming/ Nice to meet you!" in a style so chipper it's unhinged, almost like AI with overheating wiring. "Surgery Channel Pt.1" smashes together harsh industrial snare with what sounds like 1970s stock soundbites of "futuristic" computer bleep-bloops, Denée going from girly to grisly with her effects-heavy growl of the title. Instrumental follow-up "Surgery Channel Pt.2" is maddening and grotesque, worming its way into your brain like a horror movie snake. Speaking of: "Bubble" conjures a slithering Shirley Manson, while "You Can Be Here" pairs a pervasive lethal rattle with racing rhythm to make a bed for lines both goth ("Yes, demons exist/ But only when called") and self-help ("Let go! Be found!"). "Construct," meanwhile, is a laundry list of seemingly unconnected words, almost like being assaulted by a random Google search history: "Image Guarded Liquid. Augment Hurting …" After all that pummeling, "Under" is a wild relief of acoustic guitar, like stepping into air conditioning on a 100-degree day. But don't let down your guard. Out of nowhere, the song kicks into a seductive electronic groove, offering an alternative perspective like some Gone Girl mystery: "I've been down/ Stripped and bound." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz