Terror Bird

Simply put, the Mae Shi is a great example of what's possible when the conventional rock song becomes tired and boring. Terrorbird may be the result of what happens when people can't sing or write verses and choruses, but the eagerness for experimenting offsets the Los Angeles band's screaming and yelling (one track, ironically, takes on harmonies). With 33 tracks in 42 minutes (each averages around one minute), the four-piece is anarchic and weird, yet — best of all — still strangely maintains a certain charm. Track 28, the tamest few minutes here, features lots of computerized beats, blips, and bleeps while they attempt to sing something about "Jesus" and "jubilation." Track 13 is as close to a "song" as they get, as their noisy attack of guitar, bass, and drums relaxes long enough to recharge their batteries. They end with five versions of a track called "Repetition," but, in the grand scheme of rock, Terrorbird (which supposedly cost a measly $120 to record) is anything but repetitious.