Tum in Bloomington, MN

Described by the band as the "younger sister" to 2005's
Horus
, the lilting, crazed, and highly intoxicating
Tum
, recorded in a mere two weeks, is as fresh a collection of
neo-psychedelic
folk-rock
as anything
Animal Collective
or
the Skygreen Leopards
have let out their cages. Originally released in 2004/2005 as a limited-edition, hand-numbered, vinyl-only collectors item,
is a highly charged romp through windflowers and weeds, with short
orchestral
segues that sound ripped from the old reels of an early
Incredible String Band
recording session. Less
experimental
cuts like
"Florida River Springs,"
"Pixie Pride,"
and
"Our Love Lives"
will appeal to fans of the Indiana band's early albums, while the pastoral freak-out numbers such as
"Twisted Sol Epoch"
"Hathor"
will appease those with darker tastes. Like
Deerhoof
with banjos, the
Impossible Shapes
are both quirky and tough, wringing
pop
songs out of the
avant -garde
with increasingly thrilling results. ~ James Christopher Monger