Rating: NNN
Offend Maggie – the prolific hoofers’ 12th long-play in as many years – starts with a great, urgent stop-and-start guitar riff on their strong opener The Tears And Music Of Love. That said, vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki still sounds like she’s singing to herself in her bedroom, and sometimes her weirdo vocals go too far. One throwaway track has her lackadaisically singing something barely intelligible about rabbits and basketball.
Like past offerings, this is a dense, arty collage of disjointed genres that’s only sometimes anchored by actual hooks. Ultimately rewarding for indie enthusiasts up for a challenge, Offend might leave more pedestrian listeners scratching their heads.