In the Lines

Imagine if Lightning Bolt took half a dose of Ritalin and spent way too much time listening to 1980s-era King Crimson albums. The noise they'd end up making would probably sound something like this debut EP from the Austin-based America Is Waiting. "Sympathy for Rome" is a ripsnorting rave-up in 5/4 time, and is followed by the sonically bizarre but equally exciting "Nothing Justifies"; the darker and more subdued "The Virus Is Airborne" segues into a disappointingly halfhearted math rock number titled "Cut You." "The Guns Are Shaking" features sung-spoken lyrics and jagged guitar riffs vaguely reminiscent of the early Gang of Four, while the program-ending "Intravenous Genius" starts out strangely compelling before eventually collapsing into self-indulgent guitar-skronk wankery. All in all, this is an impressive if imperfect debut.