Heavy on the noise, heavy on the proclamations, heavy on the vocals and just plain heavy, the self-released (through their Black Rabbit Rebellion imprint) third album from The Long and Short of It, Caw!: An Unkindness of Ravens follows a path of classic hardcore abrasiveness from its very first second, in which singer Ben Johnson (also of Hostile Comb-Over) — who spends much of his time so prominent in the mix that it’s hard to hear what’s going on behind him — demands to know, “Hey, are you receiving me?!”

Loud and clear, buddy.

His band’s transmissions emanating from San Diego with a specifically West Coast skatepunk mentality, Johnson is a creature sans subtlety. Most vocalists sing on disc and front on stage, but there’s no doubt about who’s fronting The Long and Short of It here. The riffs behind him would stand out with a Helmet kind of memorability, delivered in palettes from guitarist Matthew Strachota, but like a younger Jello Biafra less concerned with being annoying than being heard, Johnson is never dominated in the mix. His vocals stand separate from the rest of the band and the music becomes a backdrop for his wordy (which I can appreciate) ranting.

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