On their second album,
Condition, the Bristol-based
Spectres strip their noise rock sound back to the bare wires and torn-up insulation. Their previous album,
Dying, had a layered, pummeling wall of guitars that attacked like a swarm of chain saws and songs that ground and charged like
Loop at their best. This time out, the band has forsaken niceties like song structure, melody, and walls of sound in favor of elongated, almost formless pieces that sound the way a half-torn-down building looks. The pipes are exposed, the plaster is crumbling, and there are sparks spitting out of the outlets. On the longer songs that make up the bulk of the album, the guitars stalk around the edges of the mix, slashing and whining as the rhythm section works a groove down to dust. If the last album was
Loop, this album is more like
Main in that it cares far less about whether or not it makes total sense or is fun to listen to. The few tracks that do come roaring fully to life as the bandmembers all lock together in joint pursuit of mayhem do so with bursts of blown-out energy that jolt the listener back to life. "Neck" is a raucous, no-holds-barred noise rock flameout, "Rubber Plant" shows that the guys in the band have all done their time listening to
Sonic Youth, and "Welcoming the Flowers" howls like an industrial accident come to life. Mostly though, the record is pure, creepy uneasy listening, a well-thought-out and executed deconstruction of their sound and a welcome reminder to fans of "classic" noise rock that there are bands, like
Spectres, who learned the lessons of the early '90s very well and aren't shy about showing off their knowledge and skill.