Fissure Mystic

The members of Fissure Mystic are as DIY independent as they come, judging from their homemade CD case, which is fashioned from stapled canvas and cotton balls, with cover art glued to both sides. Based on the unique packaging, you'd almost expect the band to be some half-baked indie-pop outfit, but the sophisticated, experimental pop music contained within tell another story. The opening track, "Life Story," sounds like a long-lost song from Sonic Youth's Evol, with its masterful use of quiet dreaminess building to a driving intensity. Rather than calling Thurston Moore to mind, however, Simon Elkins's whispery yet strong vocals bear a closer resemblance to Kim Gordon's. The effect is disorienting and somehow hypnotic. "Pink Mist" is a playful exercise in dissonant post-rock, with the dynamic flourishes focused primarily in the rhythm section, while the anti-harmonic tapestry woven between the guitar tones wouldn't sound out of place in a Glenn Branca symphony. If you've been wondering where the weird, imaginative kids have been hiding, now you know.