Lenses Alien Memphis Industries***

The second album from these Staten Islanders continues the band's mission to bring the quiet/loud/quiet/loud aesthetic to the masses. So far, so boring. However, Cymbals Eat Guitars (fronted by songwriter/vocalist Joseph D'Agostino) appears to have its finger on the kind of throbbing pulse that would have ICU personnel on red alert, and herein lies their trump card. One track, in particular, displays a determined need to surprise: Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)is as much a warning sign as a new template. For the moment, then, quiet has been replaced with a loud, focused psychedelia. This track – all eight-plus minutes of it – and others, including Keep Me Waiting, Secret Family, Definite Darknessand The Currentrip up preconceived notions and false perceptions. Cymbals Eat Guitars? Beats paper/scissors/rock any day of the week. See cymbalseat guitars.com

Download tracks: Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name), Keep Me Waiting, Secret Family