Marnie Stern: This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That

Talk of Marnie Stern tends to gravitate toward the

way she shreds on guitar, but her style is too abstract to measure by mere

musical chops. She plays fast and tight for sure, but she just as often zooms

in on simple figures and reiterates them until strange colors start to spin out

of cycle. It's a neat art-rock trick that plays out all over Stern's second

album, which borrows its long title from Zen philosopher Alan Watts. The

album-opening "Prime" starts off with Stern stringing words together ("frontier…

sense… defenders… dolphins") over naked handclaps that morph into hectic, jerky

riffs meted out with Tourette's-esque intensity. Much the same transpires

elsewhere, but part of Stern's appeal is the way she spits hooks and melodies

from the center of a swirling din. Her songs always at least suggest pop, and

the sense of tune at their core adds an inviting thrill to Stern's fitful

guitar and Zach Hill's ridiculously, miraculously agitated drums.