The Impossible Shapes-let the spirits enter (Luna)
I saw The Impossible Shapes on a very unassuming night in
Bloomington, Indiana last year opening for The Minders in front of maybe 30
people. So forgive me for not having high
expectations when the band strolled on stage that night.
What I saw and
heard was such a pleasant surprise. The
Impossible Shapes were harnessing Neutral Milk Hotel and the whole Elephant Six
collective and taking them back to the their Velvety roots. I’ve seen major mags call them mere NMH
imitators. Hell, I think the Shapes’
singer Chris Barth could write a prettier melody in his sleep. Another thing that separated this gang from
the rest of the E6 was these guys weren’t 40-somethings trying to live out a
lost pop fantasy, but scruffy kids who still could feel the thrill of just being
on stage.
No, let the
spirits enter isn’t perfect. I was
initially a bit let down by the sound of the thing. The groovy live sound was replaced by a bedroom sound more
reminiscent of the big boys of E6.
There just doesn’t seem to be any space on the disc, like early Apples
in Stereo. They definitely could
benefit from more sympathetic production (my Commerce Studios would produce for
free) that would let them sparkle and take flight.
However, the
melodies are still in place, the song structures are nicely warped, and the sense
of youthful playfulness is found in abundance.
You just can’t deny the Syd Barrett powered fun of tunes such as “Spirits
Enter” and “Jesus and Squares”. Once
The Impossible Shapes get the little things of recording worked out, like
investing in a nice spring reverb and making sure all the vocals are in tune,
they could be absolutely huge in the American underground. The Shapes have a new full length in the
can, and I can’t wait to see where they’re going.
(for more on The Impossible Shapes, go to www.lunamusic.com)
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