In Prism

We Say...

Review by Sam Adams

Math-rock progenitors Polvo's first album in 12 years does better than pick up where they left off. Rather than try and recapture past glories, the reconstituted four-piece — original members Dave Brylawski, Ash Bowie and Steve Popson, plus new drummer Brian Quast — have recorded the most solid, coherent and tuneful album in their history. That's not to say they've abandoned their trademark off-kilter meters and propulsive stop-starts, but the underlying complexities are combined with the immediate satisfaction of a straight-ahead rock record. The greasy chords that open "Right the Relation" wouldn't be out of place on a Rocket From the Crypt album, and "Beggars Bowl" melds psychedelic riff and locomotive beats in a manner that would do Swervedriver proud.

That's not to say they've abandoned their spikier side. There's plenty of Slint and Sonic Youth in the interlocking melodies of "Lucia," the aural equivalent of two fighter jets turning slow circles around each other. The album-closing epic "A Link in the Chain" goes from echoing annunciation to shimmering daydream and builds to a distorted howl before slipping into an undulating wah-wah coda.

In short, Polvo has held onto what made them interesting while controlling the diffuse experimentation that plagued some of their later albums. Producer Brian Paulson crafts a wide-open sound that lets the songs breathe, and leaves plenty of room for Brylawski and Bowie's guitars to dart and swoop. Polvo's return might not have been one of the more anticipated of recent years, but it's unquestionably one of the most successful.