Seattle-based The Dead Science created a majestic, ornate and soaring collection of post-punk avant-pop on this, their third full-length album, and their first for Constellation. Villainaire is a brilliant song cycle driven by layers of Sam Mickens' vibrato-laden voice, dark lyricism and sterling guitar work. Bassist (acoustic and electric) Jherek Bischoff and drummer Nick Tamburro anchor the tunes with endlessly inventive polyrhythmic suppleness. Together the trio unleashes a truly unique sound, intensely literate in both word and sound, with a controlled and commanding fury.