XBXRX

The misunderstood phenomenon of XBXRX is best explained after a large glass of tequila and a handful of barbiturates. Imagine the creative noise manipulations of mid-Nineties anarchic noisemaster Flammable Child thawed by the artistic impulses of Melt Banana and finally tempered by the technological misuses of the Residents. XBXRX has been sending audiences scrambling for various sedatives and tranquilizers since its creation in 1998. What began with a trail of bloodied seven-inch singles and EPs has now found fruition in the group's sixth full-length effort, Sixth in Sixes, which, while no less volatile, is at least more refined. The bandmates' onstage antics are by no means revolutionary but are zany enough to allegedly prompt officials in Canada to ban them indefinitely from their circuits. Noise rock? Dance frenzy? The ferociousness of XBXRX is not unlike a carnival ride: You gotta be a certain size and have a clean sheet from your primary physician to mount.