Hella

Taking its name from one of the most stupid bits of slang ever to infest the youth vernacular, Hella (above) hails from the bland, artless sprawl of Sacramento. But the instrumental duo of guitarist Spencer Seim and drummer Zach Hill make some of the most adventurous, challenging noise rock going — grafting together fractured scraps of mullet-core, free jazz, electronica and God knows what else into an unapologetically hyperactive mess of sound and fury. Specializing in fast, syncopated and complex rhythms, the pair adheres to aggressive mathematical compositions rather than improvised wankery — something familiar to fans of fellow two-headed monstrosities, such as Denver’s own Phantom Trigger. With another spastic guitarist, who knows? These guys might even give the Oxes a run for their money. Highly technical and tighter than a bull’s sphincter, Hella is touring in support of its third full-length, The Devil Isn’t Red, a frenetic detour through shortwave radio bytes, arcade racket and smatterings of drum and bass. It is, as they say, “hella good.”