JUNE OF 44 Anahata (Quaterstick)

June Of 44 are an American quartet who play a frankly strange amalgam of punk, funk and jazz, sort of Gang Of Four, Level 42 and Tortoise performing an album of Minutemen covers. "Anahata" is chock-full of prickly not-quite-melodies and shouted, jumbled Pavementesque lyrics. Unfortunately it's hard not to escape the conclusion that there's very little of substance underneath this wilfully obtuse surface, no layer upon layer of deep meaning to peel away at. It's neither music of innocence nor music of experience - maybe music of irritance is nearer the mark. A shame, especially as they're supposed to be great live, but on this showing they're better at creating song titles ("Escape Of The Levitational Trapeze Artist", "Equators To Bi-Polar") than composing songs to wrap them around.