The new project from Todd Albert Rittmann, D. Rider takes his work with U.S. Maple and filters it through avant noise and improvisation. No real surprise, because he’s also worked with Cheer Accident over the years. The result: just short of mind-warping.

The drums on “Dew Claw Don’t Claw,” sound as if they were cut up, chewed on, then reassembled with Scotch tape. Combine that with a bottomed-out bass groove, and you have a wide-open, throbbing mass of … something. Rock? I’m not quite sure, and that’s OK by me. “Welcome Out” is a low-key affair with sparse acoustic guitar and horns and Rittmann’s weary voice floating not quite above it all. The rest of the album throws in paint cans and even marker on cardboard, building a groove that refuses to quit. I’m not quite sure what any of it means, but I know I like it. A lot.