For anyone familiar with Oakland's avant rap-rock-who knows crew Subtle, it would indeed be shocking to hear them cough up a new track as easy to pigeonhole as this song's title seems to suggest. "Unlikely Rock Shock," the first taste from the group's ExitingARM LP, shouldn't be called a "rock" song under even the most expansive definition of that term. It is eclectic and complex pop, with a wobbly electric pulse, airy hooks, and chanted, quick-fire raps all prominently featured. The kitchen sink approach is surprisingly cohesive, but the rapid cycling of styles cuts certain segments short just as they begin to sink in. The old-school delivery plus fuzzed out synths interlude near the two-mute mark is especially cruel in its brevity. Listening to this song as a single three-minute serving, removed from a larger song set, makes you long for pieces just a bit smoother in shape, and easier to mentally snap together.  But too many ideas is a far better problem to have than too few, surely.  If nothing else, this track is easy assurance that the collective's creative well is overflowing still.