Ikara Colt

They shoot indie punk bands, don’t they? Ikara Colt doesn’t want to take any chances. To avoid becoming lame in any sense of the word, the British quartet vowed in 1999 to retire in five years, freeing its members to stud or birth new projects. Unfortunately for fans, this deadline didn’t spur the band to flood the market with releases. With the end stretch in sight, Ikara Colt has only one full-length disc, 2002’s Chat and Business, to its name.

Basic Instructions offers hope of a prolific closing sprint. “May b 1 day #2,” a pulsating remix of an already riveting Chat and Business track, would make for a smart selection at any discerning dance marathon. The EP’s three new tracks also throb with urgency; the guitar feedback fizzes, and the drums shiver and chatter as if they’d been left in the cold. Something of a Reader’s Digest Sonic Youth, Ikara Colt condenses its clamor into three-minute blasts — a group that knows its date of death doesn’t have time for extended experimentation — and underutilizes its own Kim Gordon, guitarist and backup singer Clare Ingram. Let’s hope Ingram gets a solo showcase before this group goes to glue.