Mary Timony: Ex Hex : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

After turning her attention to unicorns and other prog-folk filigree -- a direction begun on the final records of her former band Helium and elaborated on two solo discs -- indie-rock heroine Mary Timony has returned to rocking out. For Ex Hex, she's teamed with Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty (in the production chair) as well as drummer David Ocampo for an album of loud guitars and sometimes even louder percussion. Canty kicks up an angular, rhythmically intricate racket, and Timony matches his attack with punk aggression and alt-metal chops, often without much bass, keyboards or sonic sweetening. It's a brutal approach that tends to trample her fragile vocals and rarely flatters her winding tunes. A keyboard-dominated throwback, "In the Grass," provides a pretty respite. For one album, though, Ex Hex's raw power and complex riffage are a refreshing change.