Writing songs on the road and playing them, night after night, led them and us to this moment-defining statement: XI. A piece of every city can be heard on XI. In fact, spin XI on and you will find as well several states of mind and sound in the funky-swift, breviloquent songs. Think of The Minutemen playing Blue Oyster Cult"s "Godzilla" backwards (and underwater) to the post apocalyptic denizens of Hendrix"s "1983" - but think fast because another song is coming and there"s a riot going on. Guitar leads conversing with fat bass leads in front and behind you as saxophones wail before stripped down drums, the frenetic beating of the conga and other percussive instruments. This unnamable thing we know as rock is matched on XI with sharp-eyed lyricism and a multiplicity of vocal approaches.