Current Chicago heavy-hitters playing punk/proto-punk with a bright sound. Fantastic pogo music.

Our take: New 6-song cassette, following up this Chicago band’s previous 7” on Iron Lung Records. If you didn’t catch the earlier EP (lucky for you it’s still in stock), Consensus Madness plays fast, jittery punk in the Dangerhouse school, not so much the Avengers’ Pistols-isms, but the slightly angular, punk-on-the-edge-of-hardcore vibe of the Dils, the Eyes, and the Bags. The drummer’s manic 16th notes keep you pogoing, and the songs are well written, with compelling riffs that build toward exciting climaxes. I love the way “Spooky” develops, for instance, milking its excellent main riff just long enough before segueing into a series of dramatic crescendos. The lyrics are excellent too, continuing the first EP’s M.O. of examining the absurdities and ironies of contemporary (middle-aged? middle-class?) American existence.