The press release that came with Sex, Death, Cassette ? the latest from Asthmatic Kitty artist Rafter ? declares that this record ?is an album full of hope, determination and chaos.? After days of contemplation and spin after spin of the record, I don?t think I could describe the album any better.

It also states that one of Rafter?s influences is Cody Chesnutt, which may be the most accurate of any listed, as Sex plays quite like Chestnutt?s Headphone Masterpiece. At 19 tracks and only 35 minutes, Sex is anything but run-of-the-mill indie. Songs range from 32 seconds to 3 minutes, and they strive to keep you guessing until you finish the first go-around.

Much like Headphone Masterpiece, there is no single song style here but a plethora of ideas: trip-hop (?Adventurers?), sunny pop (?Breeze?), and lots and lots of bouncy guitar pop rock (?Love Time Now Please,? ?No-One Home Ever?).

That said, this album is most certainly a grower. The first listen is somewhat hard to swallow, as the 19 songs that comprise this collection of controlled chaos play like one giant mess of a single song. Most of the songs run together, so it can be hard to separate one from the next ? even upon the second and third listens. This is the one troubling downfall of Sex. However, patience and multiple astute spins will erase this problem and reveal the record for what it actually is: 19 of the literally hundreds of thoughts that whiz through Rafter?s mind at any given second.

Such is life.

The main strength of this record ? of which there are many ? is the production. As stated in the linear notes, Sex was recorded on a 4-track, which gives the album an unusually warm sound generally found solely in vinyl. Every nuisance of every instrument is easily heard, giving the songs that higher level of oomph that a precious few albums possess nowadays. Take ?Chances,? which is a perfectly sunny post-punk rocker where the guitar, bass and drums are all in perfect harmony in the mix. No one instrument overtakes any other, and there is much-needed space between them, allowing the listener to concentrate on each layer. ?Chances? also showcases Rafter?s musicianship, as he wrote and played everything on the record.

Lyrically, Rafter is an interesting case. Sometimes he provides stream of consciousness lines like ?For most of our lives/ We scratched in the dirt and swore at the sky/ Fuck you, the sky,? which can come off as rather bizarre to a listener, as it even produced a chuckle from this reviewer. Other times, he uses his shy rasp for a gem like: ?His life was a waiting game/ Waiting to die, waiting to get to go to bed/ Googling pointlessly without end, without end.?

In short, Rafter?s Sex, Death, Cassette is loads of fun. So stop reading and go get this ?indigenous brand of oddity,? as the press release puts it.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars