Uzeda: Different Section Wires

If Uzeda is, as some have termed it, "the Itallian Shellac," that must make vocalist Giovanna Cacciola "the female, non-guitar-playing Steve Albini." It's not the best comparison in the world, but it makes suitable shorthand. Like Albini, Cacciola pulls her vocal punches until the listener is unprepared; then it's all business, mean and raspy. Like Shellac, Uzeda constructs songs out of about a million parts, and the members know how to cinch up the tension by calculating when to strum, when to bang, and when to roar. The vocals grab you by the hair, the heavy drums punch you in the stomach, and the razor guitars scratch across your face. Different Section Wires is a half-hour of starts, stops, and lunges. If it were a carnival ride, it would be drenched with vomit from nauseous riders. The album has the same appeal: It's uncomfortable and queasy, but just try to keep thrillseekers away.