The Weird Weeds, Help Me Name Melody (side A)

The Weird Weeds' musicianship and singing are remarkable—even as they've grown slightly heavier with 2010's Help Me Name Melody, the band's greatest strength remains their ability to leave space in their very controlled playing.  The references of the Art Bears and Low remain, even as they've added distortion and heavy drumming in places.  There's also now an upright bass, which ranges from simple pulsing to arco bowing.  Help Me Name Melody adds untitled, repetitive instrumentals alongside songs that more resemble the Weird Weeds's earlier material.  The recording sounds like a low-budget imitation of Steve Albini—the spaciousness, which fits the music well, is coupled with more compression and less airy high-end.  The distasteful album cover, which meshes somewhat ironically with the music, is printed beautifully on reverse stock, and it also appears on the packaging for the bonus CD of the same material that accompanies the album.