Cinema Cinema :" Mjölnir"

I am not sure why I sometimes linger around releases that I can see have factors that are going to make it something I am bound to like. Take this album by New York art punks Cinema Cinema. They have Thor Harris from Swans playing with them. They have Sonic Youth's producer on the board. Typically when something falls into the art punk subgenre it is weird and dark enough to suit my tastes . They also have a hammering anger that gets released in a dynamic fashion Though it is not until the second song that it feels punk. The album opens with brooding sonic shadows shading their musings, in a manner not unlike bands such as Liars or Xiu Xiu, who both took ample inspiration from Swans. 

The vocals are a charismatic ranting about hard social truths. There is a noise rock clamor to the explosive nature of what they throw on  with "War on You". Then there are other songs that sound like the Birthday Party taking acid and jamming with King Missile on a free form exploration in droning minimalism with a psychotic streak. When it comes to being a song I want to return to on a regular basis , I am not sure, but it is an entertaining piece of sound at the moment. Things converge into the most effective display of their sonic colors with "Zero Sum" it's the most tightly coiled song on the album thus far. 

Things going into an interesting direction with the ambiance of "Info Ghetto", it might not be as compelling as the previous song , but works for what they are doing here. The vocals take on more of a ranting cadence on the storm that builds with "My Vision of the Future" which seems to be about cancel culture. I appreciate their use of keyboards as it gives a darker shade to the jamming going down on "Riverhead".  The last song finds them charging into a more sludge oriented form of brooding. I will give this a 9, as it might not be the catchiest thing I have heard today, but they are effective that what they do which sometimes works of tension other times explosion, and finds a way to tap into the angular beauty of the heavy mood it summons.