Gastric Band – Party Feel

As their moniker might imply, Glasgow's Gastric Band are tight. There is barely an ounce of fat on debut album Party Feel: a wild-eyed odyssey encompassing all manner of weird and wonderful sounds. Opener It’s Good But It’s Not Right sets a high benchmark: as fidgety guitar lines snake across double-drummed rhythms, its playful voodoo jazz establishes Gastric Band’s perpetually off-kilter credentials.

The dynamism continues with Dustin Binman (notable for the awesome power-riffs of the final third); the no-nonsense Brad Shitt, which hungrily rifles through tempos as locked-together guitars dance up and down fret-boards; and Sexy Grandad, a warped array of volatile percussion and tricksy quasi-melodies. By which point anyone in their right mind will be ready for something less forcefully kinetic – a craving Gastric Band astutely sate with Under A Glass Table’s eight minutes of comparatively cogent prog. Easy listening it ain’t, but well worth dropping a few pounds for. [Chris Buckle]