Drugs to the Dear Youth

After a glitchy opening track, "Ambassadors of All That Is Good," that makes Drugs to the Dear Youth sound at first like some form of ambient turntablism exercise, the second album by Tera Melos turns into a fairly standard take on the more aggressive side of instrumental post-rock experimentalism. Jagged spurts of alternately fuzz-toned and crystalline guitar, willfully odd time-signature changes, and a drummer playing like Billy Cobham on a dozen espressos occasionally makes Drugs to the Dear Youth a bit of a trial for all but the devoted fans of the style. But except for the eight-minute epic "40 Roads to the Hog's Head," the central California four-piece wisely keep their experimental excursions concise enough to set and briefly explore a particular guitar sound or fractured groove before setting off on an entirely different path. Strictly for the math rock enthusiast, but anyone who thinks Don Caballero and Cap'n Jazz are the best bands they'll ever will find much to enjoy here.