"This is an alternative rock record," the liner notes boldly and baldly proclaim. And so it is -- given his open appreciation of everyone from Unwound and the VSS to Can and Flying Saucer Attack, Brooks in his Minmae guise would be expected to do nothing less. Packaged in little more than flourescent red-pink without variation in shade, Vonsachiang is a creative exploration in mysterious, evocative sound that ignores scene categorization -- and indeed, scenes entirely -- for its own ends. The motorik-shimmer/emo-howl combination that has served Brooks well elsewhere gets an immediate nod at the start with "Of Sapience and Design," a blasting opener that purees plenty of influences (not to mention some shoegaze overload) into a great end result. From there, Vonsachiang explores a variety of styles and approaches, in keeping with Brooks' preferred "never the same way twice" ethic. Cryptic, short, and feedback-smeared instrumentals alternate with cuts right from the David Pearce songbook. "The Alchemist," a massive surge of feedback-qua-feedback, in particular could have emerged from something like Chorus or Further without anyone being surprised, while the brief but striking "Helicoptoro" is another winner in that vein. Those comforted by the human voice, meanwhile, will find plenty of choices, with Brooks indulging his late-'80s indie rock jones nicely. Songs like "For the New Isolationist" suggest everything from J. Mascis' drawl and sprawl to Guided By Voices' lo-fi explosions, all while maintaining their own crabby identity. Billy Sprague is credited for mixing and drumming "by the stealth of his wrist," and does a fine job in both areas, but it's Brooks' show all the way, a wondrous and at the same time disturbed one. ~ Ned Raggett