'Mind Spiders' Reviewed

Mind Spiders

Any punk band worth its weight in vinyl has its own theme song. The Mind Spiders' calling card on their Dirtnap debut makes a compelling introduction: four-track hiss radiates a sci-fi glow, with double-tracked drums and weirdo-ripping guitar hooks that stick like gum to hot cement. Mark Ryan, who handles most of the instrumentation, approximates a one-man supergroup guided by voices. That's fitting given his history with Denton staples Marked Men and High Tension Wires and explains Mind Spiders' grab-bag appeal. In fact, "Neurotic Gold" makes for a perfect tagline given the murky hoodoo Ryan spins here. For every two-minute scorcher giving Blood Visions of the late Jay Reatard ("No Romance," "No. 3," "Go!"), there's an equal or greater reaction: the outer limits lo-fi psych of "Your Soul," the doo-wop swoon of "Read Your Mind," and gothic "Slippin' and Slidin'," which sounds like a T. Rex demo with Jesus & Mary Chain levels of distortion. An oddly compelling record that demands repeat listening.