Division of Laura Lee
battens its hatches tighter and shades the milk darker for
Das Not Compute
.
Per Stalberg
can still sound like
Ian Astbury
fronting a
post-punk
outfit (especially on
"Endless Factories"
). But in the two years since
Black City
,
DOLL
has refined its songcraft while honing its cynicism. Opener
"Does Compute"
buzzes and hums like a microprocessor flirting with an amplifier, while
"Dirty Love"
turns up the treble and pokes
Sonic Youth
in the eyes. (The latter also features some snide backup help from
the Cardigans
'
Nina Persson
.) Its title is the only thing overt about
"Loveless"
My Bloody Valentine
referencing, as the track pulses with an energy that group didn't access, fashioning familiar electric guitar squelch into a tinfoil lightning rod of
punk rock
rhythm. The same technique guides the majority of
, which rarely pauses to take a breath. When it does, as with the reverb and swirling guitars of
"To the Other Side,"
both political and social lyrical sloganeering burn their way to the surface. Still, for the most part
Compute
seems intent on delivering wiry and economical songs that vet well, deliver quickly, and stay the course. The acerbic
"Sneaking Up on Mr. Prez"
is an example of that, as is the aforementioned
"Dirty Love."
"Q2"
might make the strongest statement of the album. "I don't give a f*ck,"
Stalberg
spits. "No matter what." It's a declaration of
's ideological bent, but also its DIY nature. What it lacks in discernible hooks,
accounts for with tautness and subcutaneous bad attitude. ~ Johnny Loftus