The release of
Cunning Stunts signals a "maturity" to the Cows, but it really means that riffs and hooks are starting to emerge from their usual tar pit of sound. Although Shannon Selberg's ranting and raving dominate the proceedings, it's guitarist Thor Eisenstrager who steals the show with his frenetic playing and bold experimentation. Not the pure noise of their earlier work, but certainly not an attempt at mainstream respectability, either. The Cows are simply too frenzied and defiantly idiosyncratic for that to happen. ~ John Dougan