There's no pinning down U.S. Maple's precision volatility. The Chicago quartet were constantly in flux, brimming with brain-busting twists. First there was frontman Al Johnson, whose sleazy whispers and rasps gave way to further tics and whimsies. Then came the sloshing exchange between two guitars and drums, spitting sparks as the band shuddered through their avant rock. Across five albums from 1995 to 2003, U.S. Maple relished the jagged but also offered regular points of entry: “Letter to ZZ Top” is more admiring than ironic, while the deconstructionist start of “The State Is Bad” brandishes surprisingly pretty glints of melody.