Crystal Antlers, Live@Chessvolt Studios

Crystal Antlers , the ironically endearing Long Beach group of 6 skyrocketing to popularity across an increasingly diverse range of listeners, spews a veritable miasmatic carnival of instrumentation flanged with primal vocals from singer, Jonny Bell, who also kills it on bass. The line-up: Kevin Stuart, drums; Damian Edwards, percussion; Andrew King, guitar; Jonny Bell, bass, vocals, woodwinds; Victor Rodriguez, organ; and Errol Davis, guitar. Utterly compelling and visceral, like a freshly opened wound and the extraordinary yet greusome inner glimpse it offers, Crystal Antlers ranks extra-special-tops for me as they're the only band I've encountered to date that conjures the freaked-out raging intensity and freedom of exploration, in their own heavier and updated way, of my old fave King ....

3:41 p.m. Friday 8th May 2009 EST