Libraness

Ash Bowie, of Helium and Polvo fame, goes it alone and comes up with a wild and intoxicating mess of sound collage, aggressive art rock, herky jerky riffage and ambient experimentation, along with a touch of pop. Although overtly noodly at times, most of the naval gazing exercises prove to be quite rewarding. Fans of Polvo will enjoy the strange melodies, off-kilter harmonies and musical complexities that present new brain candy at every turn. World music tonality and rhythms seem to have taken hold in many of these tracks, creating an air of confusion and unease. Apparently, we're not suppose to get too comfortable. However, underneath it all the otherworldly melodies strike home on the lulling pop of "No Separation," the rage of "Face on Backwards" and the Asian-tinged instrumentation on "Toy Planetarium." This album is much broader in scope and style than any of Bowie's group efforts. Multiple personality disorder, perhaps? More likely it's just a case of unrestrained creativity.