Serotonin - Future Anterior

Apparently the Tennessee trio known as Serotonin has been around since 1996, but Future Anterior is my first encounter with the band. Luckily, it's been a charming first encounter. Defining Serotonin's sound is really too difficult to put into any term one that one could truly grasp--I could say "intricate, indie, mathy rock with singing/screaming and lots of time changes", "layered guitars, original and creative, spastic but simultaneously controlled", but that would be meaningless to most people. Or I could use band comparisons to promote Serotonin: "for fans of the Mars Volta, The Ladderback, Drive Like Jehu, etc", taken directly from the press sheet. But the only true way to know this band is to take a listen for yourself. Their musicianship is superior, the vocals don't soar but they get the job done, the songwriting is as top notch as anything similar you'll find. Besides, it was produced at Steve Albini's studio, doesn't that say something? Definitely something worth checking out if you dig anything mentioned in the above paragraph. Or check out the sounds on Bifocal Media's website. And though they've been around for 8 years, it's still not too late to become a fan and school the other kids on the obscure band naming game. [www.bifocalmedia.com]