Moody, Standard and Poor is the sophmore album by Obits, the latest project from Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu / Hot Snakes / Pitchfork) and Sohrab Habibon of Edsel. Like its predecessor I Blame You it serves as as a short sharp blast of angular rock n’ roll fury that deserves to be played loud.

With the exception of two tracks here, it is Froberg’s vocals that take centre stage; a snarling, unfaltering presence, at once disenchanted and vitriolic. Although the Sub Pop press office may have you believe that Froberg has stopped “yelling”, ‘No Fly List and ‘Killer’ find Froberg back to his old tricks, bellowing “Killer, never never again” with just the same ferocity as he did on tracks like ‘LAX’ or ‘Suicide Invoice’. While the yelling may be turned down a notch from days of old, it is to the records advantage, allowing the band to veer into more melodic territory, while retaining the forceful energy that propels the band forward.

Around Froberg (and occasionally Habibon’s) voice, Obits craft aggressively minimal guitar lines that take in everything from furious post-punk to one-line cinematic surf guitars, while the rhythm section of Greg Simpson and Scott Gursky keep a tight ship underneath. Be it steadily rumbling on in an almost rockabilly swing, the steady chugging that underpins ‘Shift Operator’ or moving from swagger to full on blues-rocking fury on the album closing instrumental ‘I Blame Myself’, the rhythm section is vital to pulling off these deceptively straightforward songs.

While there is nothing particularly new or innovative about Moody, Standard and Poor, that was never going to be the point of this record. Rather the purpose of the record here it would seem, was to make a set of dynamic, infectious and driving rock songs to move both the feet and the head. Mission Accomplished.