Nomeansno

Two freakish brothers from British Columbia have spent almost twenty years banging out unapologetically jazzy Punk. Live, you're often treated to just the two of them: Rob Wright banging on bass and singing lead vocals, and brother John bashing drums and letting out a few screams. They create enough chaos for a band twice their size, and there's no denying that the band is defined by their complex, twisted, and decidedly difficult rhythmic assault. The word "assault" isn't always appropriate -- their first album Mama is pretty tame -- but their best moments find them melting amplifiers, befuddling listeners, and spewing out heated lyrics as Rob Wright's voice takes on a Jello Biafra quality. Wrong (1989), quite possibly their best and most representative record, is stunning. From the opening track, "It's Catching Up," the album rarely lets up, creating a blissfully exhausting and utterly cathartic experience along the lines of the Jesus Lizard's Goat or Birthday Party's Prayers on Fire. And although One (2000) doesn't keep that breakneck pace, it's more than obvious that NOMEANSNO are nowhere near done with their noisy, challenging sonic rampage.