Boxes

The Dublin-based two-piece Boxes recorded with Steve Albini for this album, but it's not Albini's typically straightforward production that makes Bad Blood a success. Unlike a lot of acts that experiment with odd time signatures and complex song structures, Boxes inject as much heart as head into their work. They're still man-machines, but they play with feeling. Consequently, the title track, the humorous, cyclical "Walk Man" and the punishing math-rocker "Q8S" express a kind of joie de vivre that's often lacking in the fiercely cerebral exercises whipped up by the international crowd of serious, college-educated young men who dominate this brand of guitar-driven music. Put away your calculators, boys, and enjoy.