Blonde Redhead's noisy, dissonant guitars, alternate tunings, and quiet, stilted lyrics have often been compared to early Sonic Youth.

In songs from its album, "Dissent" (Geffen), melodic verses often give way to choruses edged with fiercely dissonant guitar.

Speed, odd meters, dissonant interlocking guitars and harried vocals add up to songs that go haywire with utmost precision.

Yet with dissonant guitars and a cutting tone in her voice, she sends a more ambiguous message; insisting "Put 'em on me," she could almost be talking about handcuffs.

A decade ago Chavez's hefty, dissonant guitars and shy vocals fit right in with the music of Pavement, Archers of Loaf and Sebadoh.

Panthers play a New York version of harsh political rock, with plenty of dissonant guitars.

The album also juxtaposes hooks and choruses with highly dissonant guitars and screaming, which were compared to those of Black Francis of Pixies.

"New Jack Theme," about a crack dealer who makes "more money than a judge or a cop," spikes its hard-rock stomp with ominous electronic chatter and keening, dissonant guitars.

Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus of Adult reach back to the electropunk moment when out-of-tune synthesizers met dissonant guitars and insolent, astringent vocals.

The New York City band rams the buoyant, nasal-voiced tone of early-70's Top 40 hits against caustic, dissonant guitars, for songs that are both catchy and grating.