Passe Montagne - Oh My Satan

There are 12 instrumentals in 21 minutes on Passe Montagne’s brilliantly titled second record Oh My Satan. Consisting of two jagged, scratchy no-wave guitarists and a seemingly multi-limbed drummer, they sound as though live solely on a diet of Beefheart and blue Smarties. Each track features approximately 400 unique riffs played in perfect unison with endless clattering drum fills and are tighter than wearing your girlfriend’s jeans. In spite of its sheer abrasiveness and difficulty the album doesn’t become tiring - Passe Montagne’s own attention-deficit disorder ensures that they will become bored of their own playing (usually after playing it only once and sometimes mid-riff) before listeners ever will. Why musicians as talented as these three have devoted themselves to playing music so alienating in its clumsy genius is a wonder, but the reckless abandoning of anything as remotely traditional as song structure is exhilarating.