Jade Tree

Originally released on D.C.-based Lovitt Records way back in 2000, this rerelease on Jade Tree blows away last year's Anaesthesia, thanks to a looser, jammier dance vibe. When the synths are at full effect, Milemarker is modernized synth-pop cross-pollinated seamlessly with angular post-modern guitars, resulting in new-art-prog by proxy. What the hell does that mean? The whole thing feels like the soundtrack to a horror film on the Sci-Fi Channel; the kind of music that would be playing in a bar in Blade Runner.

We're talking tear-your-head-off, D.C.-style angle-punk fused with futuristic synth noises and sneering vocals -- what would happen if you cross-bred The Faint with At the Drive In. "Cryogenic Sleep" is a laid-back indie stroller that changes gears, carving itself to pieces with bandsaw guitar, before dropping back into a robotic synth thing. On the trip-hoppin' "Industry for the Blind," synth/vocalist Roby Husick sounds like a strung-out Gwen Stefani, glowering over a synthesized haunted-house choir. The track ends with other-vocalist Dave Laney screaming PiL-style. Couldn't tell you what those two are singing about, though I imagine it's something either sexy or futuristic, judging by the bits and starts of lyrics: "Turn on the microwave and defrost the world." (Sex Jam One: Sexual Machinery) or "She looked at me / With the biggest brown eyes / And screamed at me / Would you like to fuck?" (Sex Jam Two: Insect Incest).