Times New Viking

After releasing two records on quaint indie-noise label Siltbreeze, Times New Viking jumped to the supersized indie Matador, and its latest release is equally ambitious. Rip It Off is an extension of the young Ohio trio's trademark distortion-laden pop; the band's scratchy, lo-fi mayhem comes off more fully realized here than on previous offerings. The damaged gems of "(My Head)" and "Drop Out" instantly stand out — though the latter track's curiously pop-perfect hook outdoes the former — while Brix E. Smith's vocals on "Faces on Fire" evoke a romantically pubescent Beat Happening vibe. Times New Viking also shows songwriting capabilities that go beyond whirlwind two-minute punk; the cloudy jam "Relevant: Now" hints at the tense, off-kilter post-punk of '70s Brits the Homosexuals.

The band does have a musical crutch, however: distractingly blaring keyboards, a notable disservice to the clever guitar riffs that have drawn so many comparisons to the Fall. Still, this disc gets thumbs up overall. Rip It Off shows that the band made a worthwhile move to Matador; so long as its members rely on that sharp, original guitar sound, their promising noisy pop will become an unstoppable force.