A frequent joy, or a defect of what passes for the music press in this country, is that I always appear to be coming across North-American bands I was previously unaware of. So for all the acclaim accorded to the 'Toyah of the zeroes' that is Florence and the Machine, there's always compensation with Rated O, Oneida's tenth album.

The New York-based outfit are signed to Jagjaguwar, purveyors of such exploratory acts as Black Mountain, Dinosaur Jr., Okkeril River and Pink Mountaintops; a label that just seems to get better despite the presence of the over-rated Bon Iver. Rated O is the second part of a projected trilogy of albums entitled Thank Your Parents - not that I have any notion what the overall concept is.

Rated O is also a triple album, spread over three discs or six sides of an album, so quite a trip and perhaps something that needs to be somewhat absorbed to be appreciated. The centrepiece that is Disc B/Sides C & D is probably the best place to begin with, offering up slightly more concise and less groove-based material than the other discs. It's here that songs like 'Ghost in the Room' and 'The River' spin off influences like Neu! and Suicide, while the riffs on 'I Will Haunt You' appear to summon the spirit of The Stooges. Perhaps this is what Wooden Shjips' latest was supposed to sound like?

Disc A/Sides A & B are slightly harder work, a definite dub influence reminiscent of Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Adrian Sherwood's work combines with Warp-style electronica and TG-industrial grooves, though sounds like a No Wave-act fronting the Chemical Brothers at their most psychedelic, especially on 'What's Up, Jackal?' The standout track on this part probably remains 'Story of O' where Oneida nail a complex drum rhythm sounding like Fela Kuti-gone Motorik and then inflict a series of addictive bass-drones over the top.

The final part (Disc C/Sides E & F) like the first part has longer pieces, here there are just three songs - the brief 'End of Time' (that sounds like the farts of Sunn O)))) and then two epics in the form of 'O' and 'Folk Wisdom.' The former blends great Martin Rev-style keyboards with sitar around a tribal rhythm; while the latter passes the 20-minute mark and feels like the infinite, multi-generic music of Lightning Bolt and Om.

There's no doubt that Rated O is quite the trip, and a journey made more frequently will no doubt pay dividends. It's also satisfying to realise that another whole back-catalogue of possibilities has opened up via this record; even better, as well as extra-music snobbery points, I've found a seriously good record.