arrived just a few months after , a collection of covers that already hinted that were headed in a more experimental direction than much of their work from the mid-2000s onward. Relatively speaking, of course -- even the band's catchiest albums, like , have had more than a little art damage. At the time of its release, was touted as 's darkest album to date, though it might be more accurate to call it one of the band's most obviously dark works. Named after a violent Japanese erotic film from the '70s and borrowing musical inspiration from , , and , the album finds and company diving back into their music's most provocative realms. WIthin this abrasive territory, however, still deliver nuances. For every song like "Black Dick," which brandishes its titular chorus like a weapon, or "Lawrence Liquors," which sounds like it's on fire, there's a song like the wearily beautiful "Bitter Melon," where wonders, "Can I have a face you can truly love?," or the majestic penultimate track "Botanica de Los Angeles." Even on "Cinthya's Unisex," where wails and growls "I hate everyone but you," rarely feels as personally harrowing as 's earliest albums, and there are more than a few moments that could fit on their poppier efforts; "Stupid in the Dark" could be a more danceable cousin of 's "Frankie Teardrop." Instead, the album's terrors have a more theatrical bent, like the squealing pigs that make "Adult Friends"' conflation of intimacy and horror play like a very dark joke. It might not be as haunting as some of their earlier work, but proves can still make impressively intimidating music. ~ Heather Phares