Sound of Neon Smoke is deep into the kind of solo that makes a conversation feel disrespectful. Head tipped back, eyes closed, completely occupied with something the rest of us can only listen to. If you were hoping for background music, that arrangement has fallen apart.

There’s release in finding a sound big enough to hold what words keep fumbling. Feeling becomes distortion, tension finds rhythm, and for a few glorious minutes, nothing needs explaining. Some people talk it out. This guitarist would like the amp turned up.