Pitchfork

On old TV shows, a harp glissando usually means we're going into a dream sequence. Seattle's The Dead Science start off "Throne of Blood (The Jump Off)"-- the formerly Absolutely Kosher-signed trio's first single for Montreal label Constellation, from forthcoming third album Villainaire-- with a particularly long cascade of harp notes, just so you know what you're in for. We're talking "absurdist nightmare" here rather than one of those dreams about going to work with no pants: Sam Micken's quavering, theatrical vibrato and somber air immediately have visions of Xiu Xiu dancing in my head. That voice flits through a nervous, prickly art-pop arrangement, with frantic, course-changing percussion, geometrical guitars, and low, booming bass. Strings slope over it all as Micken's sings of an "old gray ghost" finding his bride to get his flesh back. "Villainaire, ice grillionaire," he repeats enigmatically, the kind of bizarre wordplay you might more often expect to hear in a contemporary rap single. Love them or hate them, you can also hear the group's contribution to Tomlab's Alphabet Series on their MySpace.