Dananananaykroyd - Sissy Hits

For a week in October 2006, Dananananaykroyd were the News of the World's favourite band. Then their singer quit. Perhaps he wasn't expecting such a rapturous tabloid reception to the release of debut single Totally Bone, although I'm not sure why, given the Screws' reputation for tireless support of the Scottish underground post-hardcore scene. Anyway, he left, and, despite promoting their drummer to singer – a failsafe tactic for success if ever I saw one – and then drafting in two more drummers to replace him, Dananananaykroyd disappeared. Which was a pity, because Britain isn't exactly overburdened with twelve-legged schizophrenic hyper-post-punk-hardcore bands.

But now, 18 months and a couple of aborted comebacks later, they've finally returned, offering a six track EP in penance. Worth the wait? Well, let's just say Rebekah Wade won't be disappointed. Somehow managing to incorporate elements of every worthwhile movement in guitar music since 1980 in the space of six songs, Sissy Hits is a record overflowing with ideas and ambition; the band have the confidence to consistently let their music take its time to gleefully explore all possible tangents before making a triumphant rendezvous.

Lead track The Greater Than Symbol And The Hash is a case in point – those duelling drummers open proceedings on their own, before Argument-era Fugazi guitar chops herald the arrival of vocals that rapidly shift from a yelp to a bark as the song suddenly explodes into a double time sprint for the line. Another tempo switch and the skies turn dark, the guitars now roaring where they once twitched, before collapsing in a feedback ridden heap.

The rest of the EP continues in a similar vein, never settling for one direction when ten will do. It's an exhilarating and refreshingly disorientating listen - all Cap'n Jazz-style technicality one moment, At The Drive-In power-drive the next. Most importantly, for all their technical mastery and invention, Danananaykroyd never forget that their primary concern is to entertain – they sound like they're having the most fun you can have with a bunch of guitars, and it's truly infectious. And if that's good enough for the News of the World, then who are we to argue?