The Cat's Pyjamas

Deliciously subversive, this quintet takes the somewhat ordinary instrumentation of violin, guitar, piano, bass, and drums, and transforms it into wildly complex, deconstructive fragments of revolutionary sound. The group is led by eclectic pianist Ursel Schlicht and thrashing guitarist Hans Temmen (both of whom are credited with the "compositions.") The three strings (including the virtuosic Dominic Duval on bass and classically trained Christopher Irmer on violin) explode as a unit, able to twist and contort notes like putty. The addition of Jay Rosen on drums is brilliant, as he meshes perfectly. When the band is "on," as it is most of this recording, it produces sounds of remarkable beauty, especially when energized at full throttle.