Chocolate Gasoline is the new 12-inch from The Shining Path. While their eponymous album exists in the world of post-SST black-clad psychedelia and noise, the group decided that they had gone far enough in said direction and realigned themselves. Chocolate Gasoline has a less harsh demeanor, à la Accelerator-era Royal Trux if the Stones-meter was set a little closer to "Under Cover of the Night" than "Dancin' with Mr. D," especially on the opener, "Lonely Hearts Killer." The remaining tracks stretch out via influences ranging from hard dub, early PiL, no wave, block-banging hip hop, and kraut-dance/industrial, if one could imagine a version of Viva more about bikinis than white overalls. Nonetheless, all of this can be played with real instruments and "rocked out" in a live setting, which is what the group intends to do.

The Shining Path is the “rock band” version of minimalist duo Ilya Monosov and Preston Swirnoff. Like This Heat or Metabolist, The Shining Path are a Can / Faust-loving group that also exhales expansive psychedelic guitar excess with hints of Greg Ginn and the High Rise discography while tripping balls to a violent, throbbing, not-always-sosteady, Suicide-like rhythm.  Lusciously packaged in an old school tip-on jacket, the package includes a CD version of the album because, seriously, it’s what you’ll want to listen to wielding a golf club with your upper body outside the sunroof of your car as you steer with your feet. The soundtrack to all that is good and true in this world.