Modey Lemon

It's been three long years since experimental trio Modey Lemon released an album, but the corrosive madness of Seasons of Sweets proves well worth the wait. Craftily marrying mind-fracturing psych with pounding garage punk, the disc harnesses the Pittsburgh-based band's chaotic swirl to some of its most memorable melodies yet. Drummer Paul Quattrone remains the pivot point to Modey Lemon's sound, providing juggernaut momentum for the careening squall of guitarist Phil Boyd and bassist/synth player Jason Kirker. Raging rave-ups "Become a Monk," "It Made You Dumb," and "Milk Mustache" match irresistible earworm choruses to savage riffs, balancing those hooks with ample sonic weirdness. The hectic tempos slow briefly for the pulsating, glitchy drone of "Sacred Place" and the plodding groove of "Ice Fields." The latter tune gallops into a hard-charging middle section before lurching to a hypnotic, head-nodding finish. Modey Lemon may never equal the voluminous output of NYC neo-psych merchants like Animal Collective and Oneida, but with rock-solid releases like Seasons of Sweets, the band shows it deserves a place in the vanguard of America's current freak-rock movement.