Experimental indie-rock is often either noise or intentional weirdness designed for maximum annoyance. Once in a while, however, a band like the Teriyakis puts together instrumental curiosities that sound like they simply couldn't be done any other way. The disc opens with "Brown Family Theme", a Pixies-esque track with mumbled vocals, before sliding into "Candela," which begins with echoing guitar dwiddles before building into a song that sounds like prime Dinosaur Jr. without the distortion. After "Candela" is cut abruptly short like the sudden stop of a record player, the start-stop train wreck of "Darth Waiter" gives way to the monotone singing in "Peter Lorre's Big Red Munster." Other standout tracks include "Seesaw" which uses strummed guitar and two piano notes to create a stirring feeling of contentment, and "To my Daughter", which begins as country before shifting into a quick waltz.

While this description may sound like a complete mess, as a whole the album makes an odd sort of sense. This is due in part to the more even-tempered songs intermixed with the sonic freak-outs; they give listeners something a little more tangible to hang on to. Other bands in this genre seem compelled to pummel their audience and aren't satisfied until only the handful who "get it" are left. The Teriyakis, on the other hand, avoid the "smarter than thou" syndrome. This does not mean that their songs are in any way commercial -- a listen to "Return of the Panda" will eliminate any misconceptions to that effect -- but rather that the band is motivated to create music that feels "right" rather than something that'll piss off the wannabes. This makes Haunted Hungarian Sauna a pleasure that goes a long way towards redeeming a genre suffocating under its own hipness.