A&E

Hella’s debut album from 2002, “Hold Your Horse Is,” pairs complex and heavy dissonance with beautiful, melancholy melodies that seem to be extracted from melodic alternative-rock fixtures such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blonde Redhead and The Police.

The duo is comprised of drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Spencer Seim. They generally are categorized as “math rock” as a result of their complex time-signature based riffs. However, they are far too melodic and avant-garde to fall squarely into that category—their style differs from the rigidity of other math rock acts.

One would think that as a duo, the arrangements of the songs would be very simple, focusing on a simple riff and drum beat. Instead, Hill’s and Seim’s playing styles compensate for the lack of instruments—Hill quickly extracts timbres and unique sounds which make noise produced by drum set orchestral, while Seim builds bass lines in the lower registers of his guitar, while constructing dissonant melodies by tapping with his left hand.

On parts of the album, Hella blends a wide range of influences, from actual musicians to animal sounds. One of Hella’s most unique talents is its ability to evoke mood with sound that isn’t necessarily musical, a theme prevalent in the album. In “Been a Long Time Cousin,” the song begins with the droning of an airplane, before the spontaneous appearance of a Led Zeppelin-esque riff. “Brown Metal” seems to be a conventional metal song with a galloping feel, before the abrupt inclusion of computer effects. On “Cafeteria Bananas,” the influences are more cultural, with aboriginal chanting opening the song, which rapidly evolves into an Irish river dance. It is clear that Hella means to both surprise and puzzle you with their music. This inanity and randomness often comes with mixed results.

And yet they also have moments of beauty. “Better Get a Broom,” the final track on the album, has a gorgeous, soaring minor-key melody that the Beach Boys would have been proud to use—that is once the song was refracted through an industrial-strength filter to eliminate the scratchy fuzz.

Clearly, this album is not for those with tame ears. But those who are willing to experiment with their listening choices will get much mileage out of this album. Although Hella’s cacophonous conniption fits are not for everyone, their sense of melody and use of tension make this album both an interesting and pleasurable listen.