100 Per cent Human Hair - is the first CD by the New York out rock ensemble PAK. Complex, high energy, unpredictable. Produced by Elliott Sharp. "PAK mix Ruins, Magma, Zappa, Beefheart and other progressive influences into their own unique and often over-the-top prog blend. Extremely tight, intricate and constantly shifting through a myriad of ridiculous changes." Bruce - Downtown Music Gallery. Well, I went to see Ruins play in Pittsburgh last night. There were actually a total of 5 bands playing, none of whom sucked outright. In contrast, the Millvale Industrial Theater continues to be an awful place to see shows, but at least they're cheap. PAK PAK was the total surprise of the night for me. They came out of nowhere and kicked my a**. Ridiculously technical, elements of hardcore, math-rock, influenced perhaps by King Crimson, Doctor Nerve, Talking Heads, Ruins, with shredding, spastic, thrashy tunes punctuated with howls, shrieks, squawks, squeals, yips, grunts, shouts, and screams from the guitarists and bassist, synchronized and alternating - the construction of it almost reminded me of Gentle Giant's vocal counterpoint constructions, but with a completely different character. The energy level was sky-high, and I was utterly blown away. This is actually a brand-new band (though Ron Anderson (Molecules, RonRuins, many solo projects) and drummer Race Age had played together before), and the fact that they had only done 3 live gigs before the current tour amazes me, because they were ultra-tight. I was truly blown away, and I can't wait for them to put out a real album. Noah Samuel Lesgold rec.music.progressive