album of the week: 11.3

Zach Hill

Face Tat

Sargent House (2010)

why you'll love it: out of this world noise rock. chaos chaos chaos!

why you'll have it: Some will find it to be hardly music. Not as imaginative as last album

Becoming a relevant rock act today is quite hard. Not only is mainstream success about as likely as winning the lottery while being struck by lighting, but the indie world has the internet to compete with, where anyone can get 15 minutes of fame. It takes a lot of hard work, practice, and patience. That or just align yourself with Zach Hill.

Since gaining notoriety as 50% of Hella, the SoCal ultra-drummer has worked on about a dozen side projects with the likes of Boredoms, Marnie Stern, and Omar Rodriguez (of The Mars Volta), to name just a few. in 2008, his gonzo prog influenced solo album, Astrological Straights, proved he can do more than just trash a drumset into rubble.

Face Tat starts off along the same lines as Astrological Straights. Apart from the noticeable increase in volume, the Frank Zappa vibe is strong and still welcome. Suddenly, with the song "Ex Ravers", we get a taste of the Zach Hill that made Hella famous. Face Tat is NOISE ROCK, and "Ex Ravers" is only the tip of the iceberg. If noise rock isn't your bag, "The Sacto Smile" and "Green Bricks" will send you running.

This is probably the best noise rock album I've ever heard. A complete attack on the eardrums. Even at minimal volume, it still sounds loud on my headphones. Aside from the last track, none of this album drags or repeats. Every song (if you can call some of them songs) hits a different nerve.

While I still prefer Astrological Straights simply because it was so unexpected and different, Face Tat is pure genius. Not much of a surprise from the guy who improves the quality output of whoever he associates with.