Deep Soda, Pose Dead: Collected & Destroyed Vol. 2

(Self-released, CD)

In another dimension, Burlington's Deep Soda [1] are legendary, spoken of with the same fervor as Frank Zappa, Oingo Boingo and Ween. In such a rarified realm, major labels still take chances on music that isn't funneled directly from American Idol.

Our current levels of technology don't give us full access to this domain, but we can pick up the occasional transmission. Pose Dead: Collected & Destroyed Vol. 2 - the latest installment in a proposed Deep Soda trilogy - is one such artifact.

The previous release found DS exploring the mechanics of commerciality with highly addictive meta-jingles. Pose Dead takes a different approach, deconstructing guitar rock with surgical precision.

Opener "Backsen Jawsen Eyeholes" is like a ride on a punk-rock vomit comet. Guitars careen wildly as vocalist Mondhexe spits incomprehensible prose: "M'world seems to leans to one side, 'cause someone fucked my seer with steroidal suspension / Only haffa me is clear and that's reason enough to grit my teeth so hard an' make the faces I do / Backsen jawsen eyeholes," he frenziedly sings.

"Spirit Flies Ahead," on the other hand, is actually quite lovely. It's a psych-metal sing-along, built on a powerful groove and colored with splashes of neon guitar.

It's back to the spastic for "Leviathan Hades," which is either about cult reprogramming or a recipe for invoking demons. The music is brilliantly herky-jerky, but the lyrics are the main attraction: "Disrobe and dose and go, in a circle on the floor / Leviathan Hades, up from the depths / Leviathan Hades, caught in the neural net / Leviathan Hades, we're going to drill you!" Later, the band advises listeners to "put on the Nikes and drink the Kool-Aid." Those susceptible to charismatic influence might wanna skip it.

The only tune that doesn't do it for me is "Bastone Method (Hot Lobbies)." For one reason or another, it just sounds weaker than the other cuts. It does have a bitchin' guitar solo, however.

"Transcendental Jerk" takes a cautious look at mystical exploration. "Overdosed on my powers, enrobed by the night / I go into the darkest part of the cycle / And what I find there makes me shudder / I glow afterwards with the knowledge: I'm still the same jerk." Sounds like my Monday mornings.

I could go on and on about this album, but you really ought to hear it for yourself. It'll be available free of charge to those attending Deep Soda's release party on Friday, January 19, at Club Metronome - isn't that convenient?