Reading my mind.

It's as if that amazon.com feature that calls up other items one might like went one step further and actually recorded an album designed to appeal: as noted in the latest DMG obligation, a newish (early 2005) album from Euro-freakout-trio The Thing (Mats Gustafsson /Ingebrigt Haker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love),

called Garage, from the Norwegian Smalltown Supersound label. The BBC --- no flies on them --- reviewed this thing back in January, and also offer the only sound snippets I could find (had trouble with the previews seemingly available at the Smalltown store). Out-Bad-Plussing the Bad Plus, The Thing take on the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Artstar," the White Stripes' "Aluminum," and the Sonics' "Have Love Will Travel," which, as The Sunday Times (UK) pointed out, "has gone from obscurity, via car-advert ignominy, to experimental reinterpretation," for which I offer hearty thanks. The outfit also shows its non-garage roots with a Brotzmann cover. Bassist Flaten's site has pretty much everything you're going to need on the group. Based on the two thirty-second bits I've heard, I'm gonna have to get this soon. As a bonus, Smalltown Supersound also released a 7" single: "Artstar" b/w "Have Love Will Travel." Ebay hounds with solid actuarial tables take note. Pitchfork, too, eh?