Capillary Action

Frank Zappa is responsible for a vast amount of fussy music. Math rockers — his direct descendents — expand upon the best and exacerbate Zappa’s worst tendencies. Capillary Action harness the power of the best of Zappa’s more rocking efforts, combining excellent jazz chops with punk energy, making complicated arrangements sound natural. Their greatest asset is their willingness to thrash on demand so that So Embarrassing never sounds like egghead music. It’s virtually impossible to separate one track from the next, as each song has many shifts in tone and tempo. The effect is suite-like. You may hear a brief math-y interlude followed by massed soulful vocals, a Latin breakdown, then a speed-skronk passage. All are right in the pocket and feature superb soloing and sound design; it’s reminiscent of the kind of music John Zorn used to make before he grew up. And then there are the lyrics, which are highly personal, even painful accounts of high school experiences, sex, violence and fear that, when intelligible, give greater gravitas to the flow.