The Nervous System "Puerto Escondido" (17.6 MB) from Manic Compression King Club Madison, WI March 30, 2007

While the more rocking songs in their set seemed a little undernourished at this point in their career, the ones that tried something a little different, like this heavy surf numer, worked really well. It's a simple tune and built on a simple pound-and-shimmer riff, which they wisely tend to stay out of the way of. I'd say about half their record is like that, and half is stuff that isn't quite ready. Hopefully as they continue growing as a band they'll focus more on the idiosyncratic stuff that's already standing out as their stronger material.