Glenn Branca was arguably the first musician/composer to merge post-punk with avant garde classical and - to be honest - there haven't been many artists to do that since. 'Lesson No. 1' was the first result, originally released in 1980 as a 12" EP. Listening to the title track is like hearing an instrumental version of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' stretched out to eight minutes. 'Dissonance' is just that, a ferocious rhythm section, relentless guitars and the occasional sledgehammer thrown in for good measure. Incredibly there's not one moment of slack in its initial seven minutes. The extra track 'Bad Smells' enlists the help of two of Sonic Youth with suitably caustic results. This time there's more variation of pace and occassionally shafts of ambient light emerge from the darkness. For fans of discord, disharmony and general disillusionment, this will not disappoint.