Polvo / Shapes by Jarrod Hood Touch and Go Records Uh-oh, break out your blue COBRA tee-shirt and baggy-assed thrift shop specials, the official rock and roll band of U.Va.'s "other" fraternity is back again to wow you with jangly, just-out-of-tune indie-rock magic, all for less than the cost of a six-pack of designer beer. But fear not, you don't need a bid to enjoy Polvo's latest release, Shapes, just twelve bucks and a friend to cue you in on all the "inside" information that you obviously don't have the connections to obtain for yourself (you know, those wonderful bits of trivia known only to a few iconoclasts and possibly even the band members themselves). Since Todd is nowhere to be found, I'll have to limit my remarks to what I hear on the CD (I didn't buy the vinyl ... so shoot me). Released on Chicago's Touch and Go label, the album begins in fairly typical Polvo fashion with "Enemy Insects," which does little to offend; a good, solid tune. But, wouldn't you know it, just about the time you get settled in and begin to expect another familiar song, track two comes along like an All-Star to the head. Let me explain. Remember "Every Holy Shroud" on Celebrate the New Dark Age? Well, they weren't kidding about the sitar. Yes, friends, "The Fighting Kites" features guitarist Dave Brylawski sounding like Ravi Shankar, if Ravi Shankar were missing two fingers and strung out on crystal meth. This is indicative of a trend running through this entire record, in that the boys have been experimenting with different instrumentation, including some chord-organ bits, some swell Casiotone licks, and on "Downtown Dedication," even some Hammond B-3 organ. "Well, bust my britches," you say, "don't tell me that Chapel Hill's demi-gods of disinterest have gone ... CLASSIC ROCK!?!" Well, my fine be-ringed friend, that would appear to be the case, at least to some extent. "Downtown Dedication" sounds like it was lifted straight from Electric Ladyland, complete with wah-wah-drenched guitars and flanger-effect vocals (hmm ... The Ash Bowie Experience?). Track number three, "Rock Post Rock," might be more appropriately named "Rock Post Led Zeppelin" -- its riffs are 100 percent Jimmy Page. Track nine, "D.D.(S.R.)," is a reprise of "Downtown Dedication," done up Black Sabbath style. Ash and Dave bust out like Tommy Iommi so hard-core that you want to thrust up the Right Hand of Rock and bang that head until your nose bleeds (it's O.K. if you don't; I know those chunky horn-rims are hard to come by). The album goes to the extreme ends of style, and there is a distance between the songs that does not exist on any of the previous recordings. While the upbeat numbers previously mentioned tend toward old style rock and roll, the others present a very ambient sensibility, most clearly exhibited in the sitar compositions. While the boys seem to have developed an affinity for "hooks" (and I use the term very loosely), there is a much more definite sense that texture and mood are the songs' main focus. Let me explain a little. On earlier albums such as Cor-Crane Secret and Celebrate the New Dark Age, songs tend to be more linear in structure, moving from one riff or melodic bit to another, usually without repeating a particular verse-chorus arrangement. This constitutes much of Polvo's allure, namely their quirky instincts for the manner in which a song should be put together. The overriding principle for their brand of songwriting was, and still is, one of feel; less about structure, but retaining a continuity that keeps the music within the realm of composed music rather than improvisation. However, on Shapes, the songs exhibit a stronger ordering principle. Although structure remains loose and idiosyncratic, the songs return more frequently to the catchy little riffs that previously would have been cast aside, leaving one longing to hear them just one more time. Perhaps this has some connection to the title. The songs of this release do have a stronger sense of (well ... for lack of a better word) shape. I tried a little exercise where I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what shape each song might be (why, Jarrod, how New Age of you). Yeah, yeah, suffice it to say that all I did was fall asleep in the middle of the computer lab, but I still like the idea. The only song I have any theory about is number ten, "El Rocio," which might be conceived of as being circular, less for the fact that it ends up back where it started, but that all points are equally distant from an unarticulated center. (O.K., I'm gonna shut up now.) But the sense of texture is obviously still the primary principle around which these songs are crafted, and some moments, such as the Gastr del Sol-esque "Twenty White Tents," are sure to please even the most discerning music snob. Basically, this disc is well worth a serious listen, although it might have to grow on you, especially if you're a Polvo fan who is not ready to let go of your preconception of what this band is all about. It definitely signals a move in new directions for a band that has been criticized for its recognizable, if not repetitive style (although that style has amazed more listeners than just myself). However, any change such as this can result in music that is tentative and a repertoire that is unsure about which direction to go. This is not necessarily the case for Shapes, but in order to produce a more stylistically eclectic album, Polvo has sacrificed the overall feeling of coherence that made previous records so good. But definitely check it out, and if you can't lay out the ducats, just go sit on the back steps of the Bayly and listen real hard.

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