Now for something completely different, which is what you should expect from by every Joan of Arc album; but especially Don’t Mind Control, an 18-track compilation featuring the current projects from the vast rotating cast of musicians who've performed with Tim Kinsella in Joan of Arc.

And yes, like every new Joan of Arc release, this one seems to be a satisfying introduction to the collective, even while it spotlights bands referred to as their “extended family.” In fact, there are no Joan of Arc songs on the album and Kinsella’s voice is absent from his own contribution, a disorienting guitar track that fizzles into tambourines and paranoid feedback, and akin to recent instrumentals from Joan of Arc's Boo Human and Flowers. But Kinsella does sing hysterical on Euphone’s “Friend in Common,” shouting "I can not be a party member!" over keyboards and percussion that tease at the psychedelic scope of future Euphone releases.

For fans of Joan of Arc’s “extended family,” this compilation also contains a new song by the guitar insanity cascade known as Ghosts And Vodka (ex-Owls with too many to name), the only official release since the band reformed momentarily this past winter; and a new song by Birthmark, Nate Kinsella’s (ex-Make Believe) solo project, that defies explanation since it perfectly captures the atmosphere of a dream.

This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2010.