IVXLCDM

Wounded Lion’s self-titled 2010 debut was the sound of a kids’ party hijacked by inebriated adults, with influences like early, primitive Modern Lovers evident in the band’s lineage. On album number two, IVXLCDM, the L.A. outfit moves the party to the underground garage after hours. It’s a neat trick; the band’s darker, Velvet Underground–influenced side takes the reins, as evidenced by the airless guitar clang and cymbal-rich drone running through the opening track (“Monkeys”) and their brilliant improvement of Lou Reed’s “Oh Jim.” Singer Brad Eberhard stumbles into an evocative Ian Curtis imitation on “Going in the Unknown,” a murky tune where bass lines rumble like the gates of hell swinging open. The thunderous guitars and bass are triple-dipped in fuzzbox effects and reverb: “Wyld Parrots,” the b-side to the 2009 single “Creatures in the Cave,” gets a reworking here and roils like an eruption of molten lava. Though menace and black clouds threaten the party, when Eberhard shouts lyrics like “Sacagawea/you’re American/just like me! . . . Haya-haya-hayayuh!,” you still have to grin. Sludgy, sweat-inducing, ridiculous fun—we’re in!