Don Caballero: Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1)

Don Caballero, late of Pittsburgh, has released three full-length records since 1993, as well as at least another album's worth of now-hard-to-find singles. Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1) is a collection of those along with one previously unreleased track. An instrumental band, Don Caballero prefers to let its musical intensity and skills do the talking, and, unlike the jazzy or surfy acts that dominate the instrumental landscape, the group blends oblique no-wave noise, pummeling drums, and rock intensity. If Sonic Youth dropped all its vocals and added more crunch, that's as close as you could get to replicating or describing it. Given that Singles is composed of several different sources spanning five years, the collection holds together nicely: "Lucky Father Brown" wears you down with angry drumming, showcasing an earlier, more aggressive side of Don Caballero. "Shoe Shine" sounds more reflective but no less intense, while the most discordant track by far is "If You've Read Dr. Adder Then You Know What I Want," originally released on the first 60 Second Compilation seven-inch: The song's steady drumming is offset by electronic squonks and lightly jarring jazz guitar, setting a dizzying carnival mood. There really aren't any weak links here, and the whole thing adds up to a sort of public service. It'll save fans time and money otherwise spent tracking down the singles, not that it wouldn't be worth the effort.