*rating* 7*sample lyrics* blaahh, blaah, blippy blippy doo (zappida zappida!)If you haven't noticed lately, there's a posse of arty hooligans walking our halls... an angular, Cubist version of the Jets. Or maybe the Sharks. Wait, which ones made music that sounds like an accordian being flayed by a casio? No matter. Snapping irregular beats, every once and a while violently pushing a nerd out of the way, this group - led by their dark captain Animal Collective - are the cool kids of this odd school we call late '07. Sure, people complain that they're up to no good, the older folk just shake their head in confused disagreement, you might climb the bandwagon and spout disdain...but you know full well that secretly you wish they were your friends.The noise-rock gang is an odd bunch - Yeasayer, the aforementioned AC, Liars, Sunset Rubdown - but oddest of them all is Black Dice. Never speaking, Black Dice are like the bipolar kid who never takes off his headphones. But something about him is just so cool. Maybe it's the winking adult references (see their last album's cover art...or the title of this album), maybe it's the lack of pretense - Black Dice certainly speak their mind however the hell they feel like it. Maybe it's the full commitment to being exactly who they want and giving a great big finger to anyone who says different.If you've never heard them, this is distilled, vocal-less (essentially) sound-effect rock. Everything from typewriters, static, beans in a can, keyboards, robot insects (i think), maybe a chainsaw somewhere... It all goes in and black dice kindly chews it up and puts it back together for you.Now, the question with music like this is usually how much of it is "art" and how much is, you know, actually listenable. After all, if you're the sort to give music like this a try, you can certainly appreciate an artists need to express, even if that expression is borderline impenetrable. But do you ever go to the effort to find it in your iTunes or add it to a playlist? Do you listen while driving or exercising or having sex? Luckily, Load Blown is less art and more a redefining of what listenable actually is. Are there tunes and melodies and compelling moments? Yes. Are there strange interludes where you feel like your puny brain just can't grasp the deeper meaning? Also, yes. It's for this reason that this album doesn't score higher. While several listen throughs will probably expand your chakra or something... it remains just barely obtuse enough to prevent you from actively wanting to listen to it any more than that.Load Blown has it's place (it works great as a palate cleanser. accidentally hear a Britney song or Fall Out boy? give Black Dice a spin and they'll practically steam-clean your brain for you), but there's a reason they're not the leader of the pack. I appreciate this movement - and thank god that there are swathes of bands like the Noise Rockers standing for musical diversity - but for now will have to accept my role as the nerd they push out of the way.*if you like this try* Boards of Canada, Junior Boys, Ghostland Observatory