One-time darlings of the indie-rock scene (circa 1993), Trumans Water might once have been considered Pavement's hyperactive younger brother. They certainly share that band's predilection for obscurist song titles and cover art, but the racket that Trumans Water drums up makes Malkmus and company sound like Kenny G. Spasm Smash XXXOXOX Ox & Ass, the title of their second album, is a fitting description for their sound: lurchy, twitchy, squelchy guitar noise with only the merest nod to melody. Think Polvo's reptilian riffage melded with God Is My Co-Pilot's no-wave (in)sensibility. Even before alternative rock was a household term, the Trumans were already grinding it up and spitting it out in meaty chunks.

Whatever initial buzz was generated about Trumans Water was extinguished by the band itself; after all, what good can come of such an obviously inaccessible band courting the mainstream? For the next few years, the band released a prodigious amount of material (most of it improvised or otherwise recorded in one take) on several tiny labels. Even furthering their reputation as true slackers, they became known for playing shows without doing soundchecks or tuning their instruments; they'd just start playing and figure out sound levels and intonation as they went along.

Action Ornaments is the latest addition to the Trumans canon, and it's pretty much along the same lines as previous material: guitars bend and break, people yell a lot of stuff I don't understand, and songs go through about twenty changes only to end abruptly. People who actually listen to the Boredoms would dig some of this homegrown madness, but everyone else in the world would tune out immediately. As for myself, I don't mind five minutes of non-sequitur guitar ramble, but an entire album of it can be a little wearisome. Luckily, Trumans Water puts just enough melody into their music to keep me interested. "Flying In A Coin-Operated Universe" actually sustains a Sonic Youth-like riff before splintering into jagged bashing. "4 Story Friend" also features a few moments of cool, churning melody in what might be generously described as "the chorus" of the song.

In short, Trumans Water is a fucked-up band for fucked-up people living in a fucked-up world. I'm going to keep an eye on them, 'cause you never know, they could pull a Beck and score a crossover hit with a song like "Shoelace or Else".

-Nick Mirov