Krang – Choke Hits

Edmonton’s psych/grunge/noise/riff warlords Krang are back with another three mind-melting tracks of guitar virtuosity and feedback wave surfing. To my ear, I’d peg Choke Hits as their best collection yet. Opener “Provincial Flower” is a faceblast of 70’s rawk guitar, the wizardly work of the black magician Dean Watson. “Owlseye” at first appears to be much of the same, but at the halfway mark, this 14-minute gem of a jam hits the brakes to a halftime feel, and the regular instrumentation/noistrumentation is joined by the novel addition of an acoustic guitar and harmonica. The song builds and grooves until finally giving way to a signature Parker Theissen noise-freakout. This is truly what Krang is all about. It’s a niche that not all may dig, but as with all things Krang, the diggers dig deep.